Château Calon Ségur, 3ème Cru Classé, St Estèphe, 2021

Name: Château Calon Ségur, 3ème Cru Classé, St Estèphe
Brand: Château Calon Ségur
Price: 305.57 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2012 2013 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Vincent Millet and Eric Boissenot produce one of the most sought-after wines in the Medoc. A huge replanting project to both improve the density of plantings and increase the share of Cabernet Sauvignon in the vineyard is well under way, although it won't be completed until 2035, when no doubt other plots will need to be replanted... The blend for the 2021 is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon with 7% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Stephanie explained that the vineyard team did lots of leaf thinning and green harvests. This helped the grapes achieve full maturity. Wonderfully ornate nose of dried flowers, graphite and cool cassis. There's a wonderful texture and energy, just enough glossy fruit, all tension and class, the fruit is pure and noble, enough flesh, but quite taut and muscular, framed by velvety tannins. We really like the cool reserved character and fluidity here. Excellent.

critic reviews

93/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2021 Calon Segur has a deep garnet-purple color. It starts off a bit broody with notes of cedar chest, wild sage, and damp soil, leading to a core of menthol, stewed blackcurrants, and prunes, with a touch of balsamic. The medium-bodied palate is soft and spicy, delivering a good core of berry preserves flavors with exotic spices accents, finishing on a stewed tea note.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2053

date of review 04/2024

94/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Maintains the clarity and precision that it showed En Primeur, with finely cut tannins, cassis fruits and bitter black chocolate. Savoury and finessed, grilled sandalwood and cocoa bean. Good stuff, understated but refined. Harvest September 28 to October 14, 100% new oak, 43% 1st wine, 36hl/h yield. Old school finesse, not exuberance. Director Vincent Millet.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2041

date of review 04/2024

94/100Neal Martin,Vinous

Tasting the 2021 Calon Ségur out of barrel, I opined that there was a gulf in quality between it and the Le Marquis, and that remains the case since it was bottled in mid-July. This has an absolutely exquisite, beautifully defined bouquet that possesses an almost Burgundy-like purity. Blackberry, raspberry coulis and hints of crushed strawberry blossom in the glass, very focused with seamlessly integrated new oak that is impossible to tell is completely new. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, modest weight and a very smooth texture—perhaps not quite as enthralling as the aromatics, though it is pure and, atypically for this Saint-Estèphe, quite sensual in style. Maybe it is missing just a touch of complexity on the finish, but otherwise, this is a very capable wine that should age with grace over the next 25 to 30 years.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2055

date of review 02/2024

93/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Revisited in bottle, the 2021 Calon-Segur opens in the glass with aromas of dark berries mingled with aromas of violets, pencil shavings, lilac, Indian spices, cigar wrapper and grilled meats. Medium to full-bodied, dense and suave, with powdery tannins, lively acids and a penetratingly sapid and discreetly carnal finish, it appears to have lost a touch of aromatic precision during elevage, but it remains a compelling Calon-Segur.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2051

date of review 02/2024