Château Calon Ségur 2019

On the label of every bottle of Château Calon Ségur is a heart -- a symbol which has become synonymous with the estate.  It was meant to immortalize the love its very first owner, the Marquis de Ségur felt for the property.  He is famously known for saying, “I make wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is at Calon.”

For context, Château Calon Ségur was a part of the holdings of the illustrious Marquis de Ségur, who was affectionately known as the, “Prince of Vines”  throughout the Court of Versailles.  The Marquis owned three of the top Pauillac Estates besides Château Calon Ségur – Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, and Château Mouton Rothschild.  Both Château Lafite-Rothschild and Château Latour were classified as First Growth Estates in 1855 and though Mouton Rothschild was ranked a Second Growth property, it would later be re-classified as a First Growth in 1973.  Naturally, the team at Château Calon Ségur would choose the emblem of a heart to commemorate the property’s status as the Marquis’ favorite. 

Château Calon Ségur was ranked as a Third Growth estate during Napoleon’s 1855 Classification. It was one of the oldest estates in Saint-Estèphe, with origins dating back to the Gallo Roman era.  It rose to prominence when the Marquis took over viticultural operations, and thus began the immortalized love affair between man and vine.  After the Marquis passed, the property changed hands throughout the centuries, but one constant remained – a passion devoted to crafting excellent wines.  Even during the most trying years like the 1940s and 1950s where many other châteaux failed to produce good vintages, Château Calon Ségur continued to dazzle.

A small team of 50 oversee operations in the 55-hectare walled-off vineyard.  This is unique to the Left Bank estates in the Médoc.  The terroir has a mixture of colorful clays and gravel which serve as a sponge, retaining water and giving the grapes a signature freshness.  The wines of Calon Ségur do not have the typical chunky and awkward backwardness of many Saint-Estèphes.  The technical director, Vincent Millet, takes great measures to ensure the wines here have finesse, and a lot of this is due to their gravity flow vat room and refusal to use any punch downs during the winemaking process. 

The estate is implementing an extensive replanting program scheduled to finish in 2032 increasing the percentage of Cabernet to 70% of its vineyards.  Initially, the wines of Château Calon Segur were energetic wines that were typical of the Saint-Estèphe region.  Now these wines are purer, with more fruit and a startling intensity to them.   These delicate wines unfold beautifully but require some time.  Top vintages of Château Calon Ségur need at least a decade or more to fully express themselves.  At Calon Ségur, the heart has become more than just a symbol representing the Marquis de Ségur.  It represents the love and passion they put toward crafting beautiful wine. 

"Displaying a very deep purple-black color, the 2019 Calon-Ségur strides confidently out of the glass with classic notes of warm cassis, blackberry preserves, pencil shavings and clove oil plus nuances of lilacs, cinnamon stick, chocolate box and menthol. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with tightly wound, muscular black fruits and loads of bright floral accents, framed by firm, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and graceful." Lisa Perotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, June 2020 Week 3 (6/17/2020), Rating: 95-97

''As to the Grand Vin, the 2019 Château Calon Ségur checks in as 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, brought up in new barrels. This full-bodied, spicy, complex, decadent beauty has building, polished tannins, terrific overall balance, and incredible aromatics of spiced red and black currants, lead pencil, cedary herbs, smoked tobacco, and flowery incense. Complex, ripe, and even sexy, it will need just 4-6 years to hit the early stages of its drink window and is going to cruise for 30 years if properly stored. It's another brilliant wine from this estate.'' Jeb Dunnuck, Bordeaux 2019 From Bottle (4/11/2022) Ratings: 97 Drink: 2026-2058

''Rich and silky in texture, full of ripe brambled fruits and powerfully concentrated tannins. Touch of reduction on the first nose that needs time to clear, lots to enjoy and it unquestionably makes an impression. Plenty of signature St Estèphe punch. Tasted twice. 40hl/ha yield, 100% new oak. Eric Boissenot consultant, Vincent Millet CEO and technical director.'' Jane Anson, Best Pomerol 2020 Wines Tasted En Primeur (10/26/2021) Ratings: 95 Drink: 2028-2048

''Vincent Millet (who can boast a doctorate in wine microbiology and who took up his post as Calon's technical director after a stint at Château Margaux) is doing everything right in terms of restructuring the estate's somewhat neglected vineyards with massal selections, higher density plantings, cover crops and precision viticulture. He's also cleaned up and modernized the winery. The 2019 Calon-Ségur shows the impact of some of those changes already, offering up a rich bouquet of crème de cassis, licorice, warm spices and subtle hints of cigar box, followed by a full-bodied, broad and fleshy palate that's deep and concentrated, with lively acids and beautifully refined tannins. All this is very impressive, but the fly in the ointment is an alcohol level that flirts with 15% and makes itself felt on the warm, liqueured finish. Balance isn't a matter of mere numbers, of course, but despite its admirable qualities and the serious work behind it, I do have reservations about this wine's ultimate equilibrium. Time will tell. The good news is that Millet is actively exploring viticultural strategies to mitigate high alcohol levels.'' William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (04/07/2022) Ratings: 93 Drink: 2025-2055