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Calon Ségur 1982

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Estèphe
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Calon Segur

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Tasting Notes

Like Certan de May, I bought this in both half and 750 ml bottles. Only recently have the half bottles reached full maturity, and the 750 ml remains a massive, backward wine for long-term aging. A dense, opaque garnet color is followed by notes of roasted meats, herbs, black currants, incense, and damp earth. Full-bodied, still extremely tannic (sweet but noticeable tannins), rich, and backward, where perfectly stored, this 1982 will last for another 50 years. The estate has always compared it to their 1947, which is still a vibrant wine, and the 1982 should be just as profound. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2040.

94+
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (193), June 2009

At age 40, the 1982 Calon-Ségur remains a powerful, muscular wine that still takes several hours to open up in the decanter. Exhibiting aromas of sweet blackcurrants, earthy undergrowth and pencil shavings, it's rich, full-bodied and concentrated, with imposing reserves of firm, powdery tannin underpinned by its deep core of fruit. This old school, unreconstructed claret, which I imagine was forbiddingly austere for much of the first three decades of its life, is a wine the likes of which simply aren't produced in contemporary Bordeaux.

94
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (264), December 2022
94
Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (4), December 2003

This wine has just begun to reveal its true personality, having under-performed for most of its life. In half-bottles it is close to maturity, but in 750ml bottles, it still needs another 4-5 years of cellaring (at least those that were purchased in pristine condition and stored properly). The colour is a medium dark ruby with a garnet centre. The multidimensional nose offers up notes of dried herbs, sweet damp earth, espresso, black cherries, prunes, cedar, iodine, and iron. Extremely complex aromatically, this full-bodied, still tannic, concentrated, old style Bordeaux has two to three decades of life remaining. It is impressive, but clearly from the old-school of Bordeaux winemaking with rustic tannin, but huge depth and body. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2035.

93+
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (129), June 2000
94
Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (3), November 1998
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.