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Wine Advocate 94+ points
The 2010 is performing well,. With Cabernet Sauvignon dominating the blend, the wine has a dense plum/purple color along with notes of underbrush, black currants, plum, licorice, smoky charcuterie and some roasted herbs in the background. Full-bodied, moderately tannic and set for an extremely long life, this will not be a wine to please those looking for immediate gratification. Rather, I would suspect this wine will close down even further in bottle and, despite its full-bodied, powerful, massive size, it will need at least a decade of cellaring before it is accessible. This is another 2010 capable of lasting 35-50 years. - WA, RP (2/2013)
Bright, full medium ruby. Deep aromas of cassis, cigar box, olive tapenade and licorice. Then vinous and penetrating in the mouth, with excellent lift to its complex flavors of dried cherry, cassis, tobacco, flowers, minerals and spices. Wonderfully suave but youthfully backward wine with a very long, smooth finish featuring noble tannins and fresh acidity. This will need a good eight to ten years to expand in bottle and should be long-lived.- Stephen Tanzer (07/2013)
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. |
|---|---|
| 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. |
Wine Information
The 2010 is performing well,. With Cabernet Sauvignon dominating the blend, the wine has a dense plum/purple color along with notes of underbrush, black currants, plum, licorice, smoky charcuterie and some roasted herbs in the background. Full-bodied, moderately tannic and set for an extremely long life, this will not be a wine to please those looking for immediate gratification. Rather, I would suspect this wine will close down even further in bottle and, despite its full-bodied, powerful, massive size, it will need at least a decade of cellaring before it is accessible.
This is another 2010 capable of lasting 35-50 years. This property has finally been sold to a syndicate involving a number of different elements, but given the greatness of this terroir, some fresh blood may ultimately push the quality of Calon Segur right up there with the likes of Cos d’Estournel and Chateau Montrose, the two reigning champions of this northern appellation.
Vintage 2010
Drought and cool temperatures contribute to optimal ripeness
The sum of summer temperatures in 2010 was close to that of summer 2009 (962°C compared to 982°C), but significantly colder than those of 2005, which totaled 1052°C. These cool temperatures had a substantial influence on the balance of our wines, preserving a good level of acidity and an attractive aromatic freshness.
Very little precipitation (only 267 mm) from March to August 2010 generating a drought of similar intensity to that of 2005, when only 227 mm of rain fell.
Another characteristic of the 2010 vintage is the low temperatures especially during the first three weeks of August, which allowed good acidity levels to be preserved in the grapes while maintaining an attractive aromatic freshness.
