Marquis de Calon Second Vin 2016

Lot presentation

Marquis de Calon Second Vin 2016

The wine

This is Château Calon Ségur’s second wine, and it comes from 20-year-old vines grown across 50 hectares of chalk and clay land. Matured for 17 months in casks (30% new wood), it is characterised by an aromatic bouquet rich in notes of dark, candied fruit. Its tannins are delicate and well-integrated, bringing a lovely harmony and superb ageing potential.

The name of Calon Ségur is deeply rooted in Bordeaux's history. The vineyard is planted in an ancient locality known as Calones that dates back to Roman times. The commune of which it is a part has long since been called Saint Estèphe-de-Calon. In the 18th century the Marquis de Ségur, President of Bordeaux's parliament, added his name to Calon. Also owning Mouton, Lafite and Latour, he showed a preference for this property, which he received on the occasion of his marriage. Hence his famous declaration, at the origin of the heart that still adorns the label: “I make my wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart lies in Calon”. Known as the Prince of the Vines, he even had some of the pebbles from the vineyard polished and made into buttons for his coat! Today, Calon-Ségur's 55 hectares of vines are still largely surrounded by walls, a sufficiently rare feature in Bordeaux to be worth noting. Located in the extreme north of Saint Estèphe, the vines are planted on low-lying soil consisting of sandy gravel and limestone rocks. Many of the vintages were quite extraordinary up until the early 1960s. After a difficult period, Château Calon-Ségur's wines regained their form with the 1982 vintage. Managed by Madame Gasqueton, until her death, the domain was acquired in 2012 by Suravenir, a subsidiary of Crédit Mutuel. Vincent Millet joined the property in 2006 as technical director, and Eric Boissenot is the estate’s consultant oenologist.