CHATEAU CALON SEGUR 3eme Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Estephe 2022 Bottle
Red Still Wine | France | Bordeaux | Saint-Estèphe | 75cl
£139.95 / £839.70case
ABV: 14.5%
Size: 75cl
Closure Type: Cork
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Sub-Region: Saint-Estèphe
Wine Style: Medium Bodied
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Description
THE WINE ADVOVATE 96-98 points/100
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2022 Calon-Ségur is another superb wine from this historic Saint-Estèphe third growth that began a comprehensive renaissance the better part of a decade ago. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of cassis and blackberries mingled with hints of fresh mint, burning embers, licorice and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with terrific depth at the core, supple tannins and a long, saline finish. The blend consists of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Vincent Millet observed that "when you tasted the Merlot, you were under the impression that you were tasting Cabernet."
Published: Apr 28, 2023
JAMES SUCKLING 97 points/100
Stunning depth and minerality with fine spices, dark olives, ashtray and a hint of white pepper, paprika and iron. Powerful but also really fine, complex and classy, with full body and super-fine-grained tannins. Spot-on balance helps highlight depth and layers. Really long and restrained. Very complete. Already appealing but will improve in the next decade. Drink from 2027.
Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor
DECANTER 96 points/100
Tasted by: Georgina Hindle (at Château Lassègue, 18 Apr 2023)
Drinking Window: 2029 - 2047
Rich and vibrant on the nose, smells concentrated and alcoholic. Crisp and clean on the palate however with bite to the cherry, plum and blackcurrant fruit alongside a hint of sweet strawberry and herbal raspberry on the mid palate that gives some instant energy before the clear concentration and heft of the wine shows through. Not so much in the texture but in the ripe flavours, cool minty and stone edged tannins and clear liquorice and clove spice. Still taught but detailed with elements of generosity. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.65pH. A yield of 26hl/ha. Ageing 17 months, 30% new oak.
VINOUS 95 points/100
Drinking window: 2032 - 2062
The 2022 Calon Ségur is a wine that I found "uncompromising" when I tasted it at en primeur. Now that the wine is in bottle, it has a strident bouquet that marches from the glass with blackcurrant, bilberry, cedar and pine aromas. It’s very well defined and quite classic in style with finely chiseled tannins. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and a little more saline than it showed out of barrel. Indeed, it has a tad more elegance now, though it still harks back to some of the classic postwar wines that I tasted in the past—in a good way. Very fresh on the finish, this is a sophisticated Saint-Estèphe born to give years of drinking pleasure, but my word, give it at least a decade before entertaining the idea of opening a bottle.
Neal Martin. Tasting date: January 2025

A Deeper Dive;
Chateau Calon Segur
Château Calon-Ségur, the most northerly of all the Médoc Grand-Crus Classés, is the château with a heart on its label. That is because the former owner, Marquis de Ségur, though he owned such Estates as Lafite and Latour, he declared "My heart belongs to Calon". For the last century it has been owned by the Gasqueton family.
Calon-Ségur's 74-hectare vineyard, which is partly enclosed by a wall, is located just to the north of the village of St-Estèphe. The vineyards (Cabernet Sauvignon 65%, Merlot 20%, Cabernet Franc 15%) lie on up to 5 metre deep gravel beds mixed with sand and, in parts, limestone and clay.
The wines are fermented for 3 weeks in enamel-lined steel vats and are then matured in oak barriques (40% new) for 18 months. Recently, Calon-Ségur has hit form with notable successes in 1995 and 1996 and 2000. At its best, Calon-Ségur produces meaty and concentrated wines displaying excellent depth of fruit and superb length. It is classified as a 3ème Cru Classé.

JAMES SUCKLING - 95-96 Points
"A very juicy red with redcurrant and creme de cassis as well as hints of nutmeg and cloves. It's full and polished with very pretty tannins that show length and focus. Traditional and typical for Calon with the tannin structure. A little closed today. But serious structure." Review Date: 13th April 2023

THE WINE ADVOCATE - 96-98 Points
"The 2022 Calon-Ségur is another superb wine from this historic Saint-Estèphe third growth that began a comprehensive renaissance the better part of a decade ago. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of cassis and blackberries mingled with hints of fresh mint, burning embers, licorice and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with terrific depth at the core, supple tannins and a long, saline finish. The blend consists of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Vincent Millet observed that "when you tasted the Merlot, you were under the impression that you were tasting Cabernet." Review Date: 28th April 2023. Reviewed by: William Kelly
DECANTER - 96 Points
"Rich and vibrant on the nose, smells concentrated and alcoholic. Crisp and clean on the palate however with bite to the cherry, plum and blackcurrant fruit alongside a hint of sweet strawberry and herbal raspberry on the mid palate that gives some instant energy before the clear concentration and heft of the wine shows through. Not so much in the texture but in the ripe flavours, cool minty and stone edged tannins and clear liquorice and clove spice. Still taught but detailed with elements of generosity. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.65pH. A yield of 26hl/ha. Ageing 17 months, 30% new oak." Reviewed: April 2023. Reviewed by Georgina Hindle.
Drinking Window: 2029-2047