2022, Château Phélan-Ségur, SAINT-ESTÈPHE

Bordeaux Blend: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot

The vines of this 70 hectare St Estèphe property are situated between Montrose and Calon Ségur. 56% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in 2022.

The 2022 Phélan Ségur has an enticingly pure bouquet with blackberry and bilberry fruit, blackcurrant, iris flower and light iodine scents. Very intense and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins, a liberal sprinkling of freshly cracked black pepper laced over the black fruit. A quintessentially Saint-Estèphe with a structured and very persistent finish. Allowing the wine to open in the glass, it reveals impressive depth (more so than the 2019 and 2020) and precision. This will require several years in bottle, but it will certainly be worth the wait.  95-97 Neal Martin, Vinous.

Elegant and well balanced, a ton of St Estèphe signature, this is really impressive, well controlled, with purity and depth to the cassis fruits, sweetened by cherry pie, flaky pastry, cinnammon, a welcome bitter finish of aniseed and cocoa beans that gives balance to the overall richness of the palate. There are big tannins but also clean wet stone minerality, and things stretch out through the palate, giving grip and no let up in intensity. 95 Jane Anson.

Loads of fruit here. Energetic, with layers of tannins. Full-bodied. It builds at the end and opens like a butterfly. Hints of minerals and iron. Best ever? 96-97 James Suckling.

Beautiful colour in the glass, so vivid and vibrant. Sleek and streamlined, a lovely cool vein of freshness and soft flinty touches with grippy tannins that give texture to the frame. On the reserved side, it’s poised and calm, not shouting but delicately delivering layers of flavour, concentrated black fruits, minerality and ever so soft spicing. Nice definition, weight and intensity, this is well crafted with licks of liquorice, clove and dark chocolate. A lovely ease to this despite being clearly powerful and full of refined intensity. 92 Georgina Hindle, Decanter.

Drinking Window: 2030 - 2065