1999 Calon Segur
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Tasting notes
The 1999 Calon-Ségur is a vintage that I have not tasted for a decade. The nose is actually more attractive than the 1989 tasted alongside, simply because there is more fruit – mulberry, orange blossom, hints of blueberry – along with melted tar and tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with a bit of hardness on the finish. This is quite a rigid, slightly ossified Calon-Ségur, but there is fine depth. Quite chewy in style with a grippy sour cola finish. I wonder if the Cabernet Sauvignon achieved complete phenolic maturity this year. Tasted from an ex- château bottle at the estate.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Mid crimson. Lots of age at the rim. Sweet, slightly sweaty but real claret! Great energy and assertiveness. Well done! For classicists. Long. (JR)
This supple 1999 is an elegant, lighter-styled Calon-Segur, particularly when compared to the 2000. It exhibits an evolved color, sweet cherry and dusty berry fruit, and hints of dried herbs. It is a spicy, cherry-flavored effort with a style reminiscent of a Beaune premier cru. The blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc has resulted in a wine of elegance and finesse rather than one with a lot of stuffing and power. Drink it during its first 7-10 years of life.
Mid-crimson fades towards the rim. Fresh and intensely aromatic. Fragrant and appetising, slightly herbal. Mid-weight with a very, very dry finish. Rather ungenerous in the middle palate. (JR)
About the producer
Wedding gift lists traditionally include wine glasses or cutlery, but in 1718, Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur, the owner of Château Lafite and Château Latour and president of the Bordeaux parliament, received a rather more impressive present: Château Calon.