2022 Chateau Calon Segur - 3eme Cru St. Estephe

Decanter.com – 96 pts – GH: *Rich and vibrant on the nose, smells concentrated and alcoholic. Crisp and clean on the palate however with bite to the cherry, plum and blackcurrant fruit alongside a hint of sweet strawberry and herbal raspberry on the mid palate that gives some instant energy before the clear concentration and heft of the wine shows through. Not so much in the texture but in the ripe flavours, cool minty and stone edged tannins and clear liquorice and clove spice. Still taught but detailed with elements of generosity. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.65pH. A yield of 26hl/ha. Ageing 17 months, 30% new oak.* - 04/2023

Falstaff Magazin – 97 pts – PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, tintig, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Reife schwarze Waldbeeren, Brombeerkonfit, etwas Cassis, Nugat, dezente Edelholznuancen, ein Hauch von kandierten Veilchen. Sehr kräftig, reife Kirschen, präsente, tragende Tannine, mineralisch und lebendig strukturiert, dunkle Schokolade im Abgang, bleibt haften, wird von Jahren der Reife profitieren.* - 01/2023

Vinum Magazin – 17/20 pts: *Interessante, würzige Aromatik; kompakter Ansatz, Entwicklung über sehr robusten, herben, kantigen Gerbstoffen, gut kaschiertes Feuer, endet nur etwas abrupt und tanningeprägt.* - 04/2023

WeinWisser – 19+/20pts – GL, TW: *70 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 24 % Merlot, 5 % Cabernet Franc, 1 % Petit Verdot, 15 Vol.-%, 26 hl/ha, 20 Monate in 100 % neuen Barriques. Verführerisches Bouquet, blaue Beeren, frisch gemahlener schwarzer Bergpfeffer, Lakritze, edles Veilchenparfüm und herrliche Cassiswürze. Am sublimen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, engmaschigem Tanningerüst, tänzerischer Rasse und perfekt geformtem Körper. Im geradlinigen, straff ausgerichteten Finale schwarzbeerige Konturen, Wacholder, Eisenkraut und dunkle Mineralik. Ein Monument von einem Wein, der seine Herkunft nicht verleugnet. Großartige Leistung und kann noch zulegen.* – 04/2023

JancisRobinson.com – 17,5/20pts – JL: *70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Fragrant Cabernet-dominated nose. Blackcurrant, blackcurrant leaf and floral notes. Dense and full but suave with plenty of mid-palate fruit, the tannins plentiful but refined. Touch of oak on the finish but good length and plenty of matière.* - 04/2023

Vinous.com – (91-93) pts – AG: *I tasted the 2022 Calon Ségur two times during my recent trip to Bordeaux. On both occasions it was forbiddingly tannic, much moreso than most wines of the year. Dark-toned fruit, gravel, cured meat, leather, spice and tobacco lend intensity, but the incisive nature of the tannins never settles down. Perhaps élevage will help. We will see. My impression is that the property really struggles in excessively hot years.* - 04/2023

Vinous.com – (94-96) pts – NM: *The 2022 Calon-Ségur was cropped at 26hL/ha compared to 36hL/ha last year. Matured for 20 months in new oak, it has a well-defined bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, cedar and subtle tobacco scents. The 2022 is tight at first but opens with aeration (winemaker Vincent Millet remarked how the wine was much more expressive the week I tasted it in mid-April compared to the previous week). The palate is classically styled with impressive mid-palate depth. With strict tannins and multi-layered graphite-infused black fruit, this is reminiscent of some postwar Calon-Ségur's I have tasted. I wonder if slightly less /vin de presse/ would have been better? Uncompromising, perhaps that might be its virtue, but it means that patience will be required.* - 04/2023

Thewinecellarinsider.com – (97-99) pts – JL: *Inky dark in color, the wine pops with crème de cassis, blackberries, smoke, lead pencil, 5 spice, and flowers in the aromatics. The wine explodes with endless waves of cassis, peppery blackberries, Asian spice, espresso, and dark chocolate on the palate. Everything is in place here. The wine coats your teeth, palate, and gums with fruit, and freshness that sings. The seamless finish is made even better with a refreshing hit of chocolate mint at the end. The wine builds, and expands in the finish as it crosses the 60 second mark. The wine blends 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 5% Cabernet franc and 1% Petit Verdot. 15% ABV, 3.8 pH. The harvest took place September 6 - September 27. The is the earliest harvest in the history of the property. Yields were 26 hectoliters per hectare. Only 53% of harvest was placed into the Grand Vin. The wine is aging in 100% new, French oak barrels for 20 months before bottling. Drink from 2028-2060.* - 05/2023