2009 Calon Segur
Buying options
Tasting notes
Plum colour, still intense right through to the core of the wine, this is just a near-perfect St Estèphe, concentrated yet finessed, with balance, less muscular than you would find in most vintages of Calon today, still with depth but also nuance, full of pleasure and joy, cocoa bean, cigar box, blackcurrant, smoked earth, oyster shell finish. Owned by Denise Gasqueton at the time, and makes me a little nostalgic for the old school charms of this era at Calon.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 2009 Calon Ségur offers powerful black fruit, melted road tar, tobacco and pencil shaving scents, here with a touch of wild mint that surfaces after 15-20 minutes. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly grainy texture. This solid Saint-Estèphe is shaking off the baby fat of that vintage and is more reserved than the previous bottle encountered four years ago. But I appreciate the edginess of the finish. Give it a couple more years. Tasted at the private room at Noble Rot Soho.
A big step up over the 2008 and, I suspect, the finest wine from this estate in the 2000s, the 2009 Château Calon Ségur reveals a healthy ruby hue to go with textbook notes of red and black currants, tobacco leaf, damp earth, gamey meats, and Asian-like spices. This is classic, traditionally made Bordeaux, with full-bodied richness, a layered, structure mouthfeel, wonderful sweetness of fruit, and a great finish. A wine that starts out tight and reserved yet builds with air, don't be afraid to give bottles plenty of air if drinking any time soon. It's certainly in its drink window, yet also has another 30-40 years of longevity ahead of it.
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.