1996 Phelan Segur
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Tasting notes
Tasted at the château, the 1996 Phelan-Segur is actually a wine that I tasted regularly around the turn of the millennium. It is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. It has always been a decent Saint Estèphe and there is much to like about it 20 years on. The bouquet is well defined and fresher than the 1986 Phelan-Segur tasted alongside: blackberry, raspberry coulis and a touch of crushed stone. It is classier than some might presuppose. The palate is well balanced, fleshy for a 1996 with ample black cherry, raspberry, sage, game and cedar notes. Quite cohesive in the mouth with fine structure, it is not the most sophisticated Saint Estèphe on the block, yet it continues to give satisfying drinking pleasure and complexity. This is a gutsy Phelan-Segur (a word used by one Robert Parker when tasting this same wine from barrel) and I could easily see this giving another decade's worth of pleasure. Tasted July 2016.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Dark crimson with a mature rim. Aromatic and not quite as luxurious as the nose of the Ch Duhart-Milon 1996. Just a bit stodgy and austere. Solid and robust with some tannins still lurking. Some austerity on the finish. (JR)
Dark middle with an evolved rim. Firm, aromatic cassis. Thick and dense and confident with real savour. Tannins in retreat. Very clean. (JR)
This is not a blockbuster, but it is a delicious bottle. Beautiful chocolate and berry character. Medium-bodied, with a good core of fruit and velvety tannins. Medium finish. Best after 2001.James Suckling, Wine Spectator 1999
About the producer
With 70 hectares under vine, Ch. Phélan Ségur sits on the eastern side of Saint-Estèphe – neighbouring Montrose and Calon Ségur. Owned by Philippe van de Vyvere since 2017, its gravel soils produce typically firm wines.