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Wine Description
The Story
Fifty-five hectares (136 acres) at the time of the 1855 classification, fifty-five hectares today: the estate is a rare example of consistency of terroir over the centuries.
The vineyard is made up of one single block adjacent to the village of Saint-Estèphe. Unique in the Médoc, it is completely surrounded by a stone wall. Inside, closest to the château, this “enclos” groups together the most famous plots of Calon.
There are very few geological models that can be compared with the terroir of Calon Ségur. The vines delve down into a deep gravel layer that was deposited there by the river. This layer covers another which is predominantly clay. This combination of clay and gravel soils is one of the main reasons for the power and finesse displayed in the wines of Calon Ségur.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the backbone of Calon Ségur. This grape variety makes up over three-quarters of the blend, and in great years its proportion can be as high as 90%.
No great wines can ever be made without constant and meticulous care of the vines. The soils are ploughed in the time-honoured tradition. From spring to autumn, vine canopy management tasks are done by large numbers of vineyard personnel. The crop is picked by hand at perfect ripeness.
APPELLATION | Saint-Estèphe. Third classified Growth in 1855. |
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CONSULTANT ŒNOLOGIST | Éric Boissenot. |
SOIL | A thick layer of gravel laid down during the Quaternary Period. Predominantly clay sub-soil from the Tertiary Period. At the summit of the gravel deposits, there is also a fine layer of clay of lacustrine origin. |
VINEYARD AREA | 55 ha (136 acres). |
AREA IN PRODUCTION | 45 ha (50 ha planted). |
GRAPE VARIETIES | 53% Cabernet sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 7% Cabernet franc, 2% petit Verdot. |
AVERAGE AGE OF THE VINES | 22 years. |
TRAINING METHOD | Double Guyot. |
PLANTING DENSITY | 8,000 vines/ha. |
TARGET YIELD | 45 hl/ha. |
HARVEST | Hand picking. A first selection of grapes on the vine. Mechanical sorting of the grapes by vibration, followed by hand sorting. |
VINIFICATION | Temperature-controlled conical stainless-steel tanks. Maceration for 18 to 21 days. |
AGEING | 18 to 20 months, 30% new barrels. Fining with egg white. |
AVERAGE ANNUAL PRODUCTION | Around 80,000 bottles. |
Vintage 1977
Bordeaux / The 1977 vintage ended up being one of the poorest of the 1970s. Early budburst faced a damaging spring frost, reducing crop size from small to minimal. The forming crop was poorly treated by the cool and constantly wet summer. Then came the driest September in 125 years, followed by a dry October saving the vintage from total disaster. The epitome of the vintage was the poorest Mouton-Rothschild ever made. The only pleasure it can give is the beautiful label. On the other hand, there are surprises. Lafite with a ridiculous price of 150 euros per bottle turned out to be very pleasant. The best experience this year is still the Yquem produced in very small quantities. Overall, all dry wines were ready to drink upon release and are not
Main characteristics of the vintage
From the beginning of March, the weather was good with temperatures quite high above the seasonal average causing the vines to grow around March 10, which was really very early. At the end of the month, despite the sunny weather, it was rather cold (on March 31, the temperature dropped below 2°C). Merlots and Cabernet Francs were first affected by the frost, because their growth predated that of Cabernet Sauvignons. The Montrose vineyard, well ventilated by its proximity to the Gironde estuary, was never subject to spring frosts before 1977. Then, May and June were too mild for the season with precipitation. Early vegetation was delayed and flowering was late (mid-flowering on June 21). If July temperatures were normal, August and September lacked sun and heat, leading to insufficient maturity of the grapes. The first days of harvest were characterized by alternating rain and sun, followed by nice cool weather. During this period, the temperature did not exceed 20°C;