Château Calon Ségur, 3ème Cru Classé, St Estèphe, 2022
Constituting the earliest harvest in living memory, starting on the 6th of September, the Calon team was staggered by the quality of the Merlots. They were juicy and ripe with wonderful tension. Pronounced and even a touch flashy, the bouquet opens with silky red and black fruits, griotte, blood orange, peonies and camphor, there's a beautiful texture to the fruit, which is refined and silky, but so deep and almost unctuous. Although swathed in fine, velvety, lacy tannins, this is a taut, serious wine with plenty of sinewy muscle. Displaying Impressive concentration, with lots of detail, and a real sense of elegance and harmony, this finishes with a refreshing saline kick. Superb! 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
critic reviews
The 2022 Calon-Ségur has a powerful, burly bouquet with quite extravagant black, plummy fruit laced with dark chocolate and espresso. Lactones. The palate is sweet on the entry, lavish in style but thankfully showing control. Fine delineation, velvety-smooth, this is remarkably sensual for a Saint-Estèphe, but it needs time to erode that glossy veneer. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.
The grand vin is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot (a record for the grand vin), 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and the élevage was in 100% new oak, for 20 months. The aromatic profile presents a dark and dusty character, with sweet black cherry and dried cranberry, and a touch of toasted oak. The palate is firm and freshly polished, with an upper layer of dark and savoury fruits, all black olive, currant and dark chocolate, with black pepper and toast nuances, while underneath there is a high-level frame of dark, savoury, salt-and-pepper tannins. A huge grip here, in a monolithic Calon-Ségur which will require an age to come good in the cellar, such is the dry and dense wrapping of tannins that courses within. Is it another version of the 2000 vintage, perhaps? Maybe – come back in thirty or forty years to find out. The alcohol on the label is 14.5%.
Slate and chalk textured tannins, skilful work over ageing to ensure a focus on Cabernet Sauvignon. The intensity and concentration are seductive and you can expect plenty of black chocolate, espresso, cocoa bean, liquorice, crème de cassis, seriously enjoyable, clear ageing ability. 100% new oak in the cellars. 28hl/h yield, following hail. Harvest September 6 through to 27.
The 2022 Calon-Segur is another superb wine from this historic Saint-Estephe 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."