CHATEAU PHELAN-SEGUR Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Estephe 2019 Bottle

Description

The 2019 Château Phélan-Ségur is a superb expression from Saint-Estèphe, showcasing why this Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel is so highly regarded. This vintage is typically a blend of approximately 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 39% Merlot, with small percentages of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It pours a deep, intense ruby.

On the nose, it offers a captivating bouquet of ripe blackcurrants, dark plums, and cassis, intertwined with elegant notes of cedar, graphite, and a touch of tobacco leaf. The palate is medium to full-bodied, delivering a concentrated core of dark fruit, beautifully framed by firm yet polished tannins and a vibrant freshness. It boasts remarkable balance and a long, savoury finish, promising excellent complexity and structure for long-term cellaring, making it a classic representation of its appellation.

JAMES SUCKLING 96 points
This is a very classically structured Bordeaux with blackcurrant, walnut, cedar and hints of toasted oak. It’s reserved now, but shows very serious, polished tannins. Persistent and powerful with fantastic length. Very precise. Try after 2025.

VINOUS 96 points
Drinking window: 2027 - 2055
The 2019 Phélan-Ségur has a well-defined bouquet with blackberry and bilberry fruit, a subtle marine influence that develops with aeration. Very cohesive. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very precise with wonderful mineralité and tension. This oozes class, a Swiss watch of a Saint-Estèphe with outstanding length and complexity. Top drawer and a benchmark for the estate. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
Neal Martin. Tasting date: January 2023

DECANTER 95 points
Tasted by: Panos Kakaviatos (at Strasbourg, 24 Feb 2023)
Drinking Window: 2023 - 2045
Blood orange freshness with cigar box elegance, this is at once round and refined. One of the top wines of the Médoc. And while it’s close to 14.5% alcohol, there’s no heaviness or hot, jammy notes. For the price, it would be foolish not to purchase.