Calon Ségur 2015

The 2015 Calon-Ségur has a fresh and very well defined bouquet of raspberry, wild strawberry and crushed stone aromas, very focused and beautifully integrated new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, well judged acidity, lightly spiced and quite saline toward the marine-tinged finish that fans out beautifully. There is classiness in this Saint-Estèphe and it should age with grace. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

Aromas of blackberries, currants, cedar and tobacco. Full-bodied, layered and dense. Great fruit yet tight and structured. A classically proportioned red with so much intensity. A wine for the future. Try it in 2022.

Composed of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2015 Calon-Segur was aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 20 months. It has a deep garnet-purple color and nose of warm blackberries, cassis, black cherries and licorice with touches of roses and dark chocolate. The medium-bodied palate is firm and chewy with good concentration and a spicy finish. 2020 - 2042

Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Strangely metallic note on the nose. Slightly austere on the end. Edgy and a tad green. Other tasters preferred this to me.
Drink 2024-2036

This classic Chateau has one of the greatest terroirs of Bordeaux. Quality in the past has been good but a little variable. However, en primeur prices were always reasonable - especially so in comparison to those of traditional rivals and neighbours Cos d'Estournel and Montrose. The property has recently been sold to a French insurance company - Suravenir. A new manager, Laurent Dufau, is in place and there are big plans in place to modernise the wine-making facilities. Quality is now on the rise. Of the 55 hectares, 50 are currently planted but only 45 in production. Despite there being 35% Merlot in the vineyard the grand vin in 2015 is made from 82% Cabernet Sauvignon. There will only be 8000 cases produced. Intense purple colour. The nose is pure with blackcurrant fruit, lead pencil and cedar. This pure character follows to the palate which is framed by firm tannins typical of St Estephe. There are layers of savoury spices, charcoal and cedar wood. This is a classic northern Medoc style, for those who love classic Claret with purity, length and structure.

I loved the 2015 Calon Segur and while it’s true the northern Médoc is less successful in 2015, this beauty is certainly one to seek out. Based on 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot aged all in new barrels, its deep ruby/purple color is followed by gorgeous notes of crème de cassis, blackcurrants, toasted spices, lead pencil shavings, and hints of dried flowers. While it’s not the most concentrated wine of the vintage, it has medium to full-bodied richness, polished tannin, and a gorgeous elegance about it that keeps you coming back to the glass. Drink it over the coming 20-30 years. 2018 - 2043

Perfumed a touch of spice the nose is fresh and fragrant. The start of the palate light but there is mid sweetness the fruit underpinned by fine tannins. It fills out a bit at the back some ripe cassis but the finish is fresh, light and fragrant.

Among the top performers in St. Estèphe, as it nearly always is, Calon has made a stylish,
refined red in 2015. Perfumed and floral, with structured, chalky tannins and intense black
and red fruits. A triumph over adversity in a tricky vintage for the northern Médoc.
Drink: 2024-32

Very direct and very pure, this is a remarkably restrained wine and while the acid level is exactly the same as in 2009
it seems more pliable and more forward than any young Calon I can remember. The acidity is its key. This wine is a
facsimile of an ancient style of Bordeaux, with tender fruit and firm acidity. The tannins are fully integrated, crisp and
refreshing. Winemaker Vincent Millet thinks it will make 40 years, while admitting that it already looks ravishing. The
great difference these days is the physiological ripeness of the grapes at balanced alcohol levels and this makes the wine
much more acute and also more delicious in its youth. The weather was rainier here than in most places but they have
great exposition and very good aeration and so the wine is very clean and fresh. The tannins are tense but not drying on
the finish and the nose is already floral and hypnotic - this is a truly dreamy wine and it accurately resembles the heart
it wears on its label.