Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesChâteau Phelan Ségur has come up with a medium-bodied wine in 2016 that shows a little more fruity charm than its provenance classically predicts, and, here again, the role of Merlot is hard to miss. It teases with elements of cedar and cigar on the nose and is almost pliant on the palate when compared to traditional St. Estèphes, and it boasts plenty of fresh and fairly vibrant young fruit from beginning to end.
When he died in 1841, Bernard Phelan left this vast estate, known from then on under the combined name of Chateau Segur de Garamey, to his son Frank. Frank devoted his life to promoting the renown and improving the quality of the wines produced on his property. In addition, he became the mayor of Saint-Estephe, holding the post for thirty years.
Since 1985, Xavier Gardinier has been running the vineyard with the help of his sons Thierry, Stephane and Laurent. The buildings have been totally renovated to express the spirit of their founders and house winemaking equipment enables the terroir to express itself in all its complexity. However, despite the undeniable attraction of the buildings' design and the high-tech nature of the equipment therein, they are only the necessary backdrop to the remarkable alchemy that produces each year's vintage.
