December 16, 2024
Calon Segur 2020 - A masterpiece vintage
“The 2020 Château Calon Ségur is pure gold and another masterpiece from this estate […] My notes started and ended with "wow," and this riveting Saint-Estèphe offers a heavenly bouquet of red and black currants, truffly earth, iron, espresso, and tobacco leaf” - Jeb Dunnuck
Chateau Calon Segur, a historic Third Growth estate in Bordeaux’s Saint-Estephe appellation, is renowned for its elegance and longevity. With roots tracing back to the 12th century, it became a symbol of love under the Marquis de Segur, who famously declared his heart belonged to Calon. Today, under the ownership of Suravenir Assurances, Calon Segur combines traditional craftsmanship with modern innovation, producing wines of remarkable depth, structure, and finesse, reflecting its exceptional terroir.
Over the past two decades, Calon Segur has undergone significant improvements, driven by meticulous vineyard management, modernised winemaking facilities, and a renewed focus on quality. Enhanced precision in blending and ageing has elevated the estate’s wines, resulting in greater elegance, depth, and refinement, solidifying its position among Saint-Estephe’s finest producers.
We’ve long been advocating the 2020 vintage in Bordeaux, and Calon Segur’s 2020 does not deviate being the best vintage created at this address in recent years. The 2020 Calon Ségur exemplifies a classic Saint-Estèphe with power, elegance, and remarkable ageing potential. A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, it offers complex aromas of cassis, truffle, and tobacco. Praised by Jeb Dunnuck as "masterpiece" it showcases silky tannins, vibrant fruit, and a seamless finish, earning an impressive 99 points. This vintage will develop beautifully over the next 40-50 years.
This is now a vintage to be missed by Bordeaux fans.
Calon Segur 2020
99 Points | Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Château Calon Ségur is pure gold and another masterpiece from this estate. Harvested all in September and pulled from their 48 hectares of vines, the blend is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot that spent 20 months all in new French oak, and it hit 13.2% natural alcohol. My notes started and ended with "wow," and this riveting Saint-Estèphe offers a heavenly bouquet of red and black currants, truffly earth, iron, espresso, and tobacco leaf. With incredible purity of fruit, full-bodied richness, and ultra-fine tannins, it's a deep, pure, layered 2020 that deserves at least 7-8 years of bottle age and will cruise for 40-50 years in cold cellars. Hats off to the team at Calon Ségur.
98 Points | Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux
Even visually this stands apart with its inky, glass-staining ruby colour. Rich and powerful but restrained, this is a brilliant Calon Ségur, more old school than the past few vintages in that there is tight cassis, eucalyptus and mint leaf restraint, but still utterly luscious black cherry and damson fruits, concentrated, supple and chiselled tannins with a touch of crème de cassis and incense. Exceptionally impressive. 47% of overall production, 33hl/h yield, 100% new oak, 3.85ph. Vincent Millet director as well as technical director.
98 Points | Decanter, Jane Anson
A return to form in my eyes for Calon Ségur after the atypical 2018, rippling with elegance, balance and savoury blue fruits of Cabernet, with rose and peony flowers. Concentrated, chiselled and juicy, this has clear personality and equals the great, classically balanced vintages of Calon like 2016. A yield of 33hl/ha, 3.85pH, 100% new oak. Vincent Millet is now overall director as well as technical director, since the departure of Laurent Dufau in 2020.
97 Points | Wine Advocate, William Kelley
The 2020 Calon-Segur is a brilliant wine from an estate in the ascendant. Wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis, red berries, fresh mint, pencil shavings, violets and rose petals, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a vibrant core of fruit, powdery structuring tannins and a long, perfumed finish. Integrated and harmonious, this pure, concentrated and dynamic wine is one of the finest vintages that Vincent Millet and his team have produced to date.