Château Calon Ségur 1996 (Red)

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.

The 45 hectares of vines are planted on top of a thick layer of gravelly soil with a clay underlayer. The blend is made up of over 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. After manual harvesting and careful checks, the wine is vinified for around 20 days. Maturation lasts 18-20 months depending on the vintage, and entirely in new wood. The team at Calon has understood that there is no point competing with their neighbour Montrose when it comes to powerful wine. Instead of going down this route, they have opted for a more elegant and delicate character. And indeed, the strength of Calon is found in its elegant expression of a unique terroir. The proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon is increased to bring more structure. Whilst a few years ago the Cabernet grapes struggled to reach full maturity, the climate crisis has actually come to be an advantage. Certainly made to be aged, this wine requires time to develop. In its recent vintages, this cuvée has superb depth and expresses an exceptional aromatic palette of earth, dark fruits and spices.

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