Château Calon Ségur, 3ème Cru Classé, St Estèphe, 2024
Laurent Dufau, Vincent Millet and Eric Boissenot produce one of the most sought after wines in the Medoc. Laurent has undertaken a huge replanting project to both improve the density of plantings and increase the share of Cabernet Sauvignon in the vineyard. The blend for the 2017 is the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon we can recall in Calon Segur, 76% with 13% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. As ever, extractions are gentle and the style is vibrant with a reserved power. Grapes were cooled down before going into tank to retain freshness and quality of fruit. Then followed an 18 day cuvaison, the team here felt that this wasn't a vintage to push. They reintegrated the press wines very early to add some mid palate weight. The bouquet is distinctly Cabernet with notes of cool hedgerow fruit, griotte, cassis and stones. There's a cool spice to the bitter cherry flavours. Deftly made, quite technical, but there is much to admire: the quality of fruit, the persistent flavours, the beautifully honed tannins, the freshness and intensity. This is a complete and rather impressive Calon made in the new house style.
critic reviews
Deep garnet-purple colored. It's a little shy to start off, needing some swirling to bring out notes of black raspberries and red cherries, followed by wafts of cassis, mint tea, and milk chocolate with a hint of pencil lead. The light to medium-bodied palate delivers very good tension and bright, red berry flavors with savory sparks and fine-grained tannins, finishing with a refreshing lift.
The 2024 Calon Ségur was picked from September 23 until October 9 at 45 hl/ha with no breaks between those dates. It then matured in 100% new oak, as usual, for 20 months. This has a well-defined bouquet, with more prominent wood than previous recent vintages, which consequently obscures the property's DNA. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid black fruit tinged with black olive. It's quite lively, with a liberal sprinkling of white pepper and thyme. I admire the freshness of this Saint-Estèphe and there is decent length on the finish. This is not a top-ranking Calon-Ségur, but it should still provide up to 20 years of drinking pleasure.
Beautiful red ruby expression. A slimmer more finessed expression of Calon than in recent years, that gives it less estate signature than some, but this has beautiful cassis bud, rose petals, peony, iris, cocoa bean and graphite. Subtle but with real charm. 3.60 pH. 45 hl/ha. 100% new oak. Vincent Millet director, Harvest 23 September to 9 October.
The 2024 Calon-Segur is a terrific effort. A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon (picked late, between October 2 and October 9), 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, it unwinds in the glass with notes of plums, cassis and iris mingled with hints of burning embers and incense. Medium to full-bodied, supple and layered, it's suave and seamless, with good depth at the core, powdery tannins and beautifully integrated acids. At pH 3.50 and 13.1% alcohol, it's also one of the most classically proportioned vintages this estate has produced over the last decade.