2022 Chateau Phelan Segur 1,5 l - Magnum - Cru Bourgeois St. Estephe

Decanter.com – 95 pts - GH: *A delicious and well-constructed wine from the Phélan team in 2022. Polished, balanced and just so drinkable - proximity to the river and clay soil helping keep freshness in the hot and dry conditions. A gorgeous texture straight away, clean and clear, juicy, vibrant and grippy with a chalky, flint and graphite element to the fine tannins. You really feel they've taken the best the vintage had to offer with precise definition to all the elements; ripe bramble and cherry fruit, high acidity with a wonderful spiced and mineral signature from the St-Estephe terroir. A combination of power and charm that builds in structure and intensity while keeping a mouthwatering energy from start to finish. A top buy - and could be upscored in bottle! Tasted four times throughout April and loved it every time. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.8pH. 96IPT. Harvest took 13 days in total, from 14 - 26 September whereas the last three years picking has started on the 24th September. A yield of 28hl/ha. 75% grand vin production. The team have also been working for the past few years on different yeasts for fermentation in order to get more precision and a stronger link to the vineyards. 50% of production in 2022 was vinified using natural yeasts - five strains taken from five plots and used to vinify grapes from each of their respective parcels. Julien Viaud consultant. HVE/Terra Vitis* - 04/2022

Falstaff Magazin – 94 pts – PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Frische Herzkirschen, feine Nuancen von Cassis und Lakritze, etwas Nugat und Edelholz. Komplex, stoffig, reife Beerenfrucht, frisch strukturiert, feine tragende Tannine, mineralisch und anhaftend, ein eleganter, harmonischer Wein mit Potenzial und Länge, überzeugend.* - 01/2023

Vinum Magazin – 17,5/20 pts: *Besonders fleischiger und doch saftiger, erfrischender Phélan mit perfekt reifem Tannin; besitzt Schliff und geschmeidige Eleganz ohne jede Spur von Schwerfälligkeit.* - 04/2023

WeinWisser – 18,5+/20pts – GL, TW: *56 % Merlot, 40 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 2 % Cabernet Franc, 2 % Petit Verdot, 28 hl/ha, 14.2 Vol.-%, 75 % Grand Vin. Komplexes schwarzbeeriges Bouquet, Wildkirsche, betörende Veilchen und edle Cassiswürze, dahinter Heidelbeergelee, Heidekraut und erkalteter Waldfrüchtetee. Am vielschichtigen, straff geschnittenen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, perfekt stützender Rasse, engmaschigem Tanningerüst, zeigt seine typischen St. Estèphe-Krallen und seinen muskulösen Körper. Im konzentrierten langanhaltenden Finale Wildkirsche, Estragon und dunkler Graphit. Ein Monument von Wein, viermal degustiert. Gehört zu den besten Weinen der Appellation und ist auf klarem Weg zur höheren Note.* – 04/2023

JancisRobinson.com – 17/20pts – JL: *56% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Dark- and red-fruit notes. Juicy fruit on the palate. Powerful but elegant at the same time. Plentiful tannins but finely honed. Lovely freshness. Persistent finish. Harmonious.* - 04/2023

Vinous.com – (91-94) pts – AG: *The 2022 Phélan Ségur is shaping up to be a gem. A burst of dark red/purplish fruit makes a strong opening statement. Sweet floral, spice and pomegranate caress the palate. The 2022 is immediately sensual and engaging. There is a bit of graininess in the tannin that is the only question mark here. This will be a fascinating wine to follow. Tasted three times.* - 04/2023

Vinous.com – (95-97) pts – NM: *The 2022 Phélan Ségur was picked between 14 and 26 September, 9 out of 13 days with one plot immediately after another, using selected indigenous yeasts for around half the production. It was cropped at 28hL/ha with 14.2% alcohol at the moment, the pH is 3.8. This year contains higher Merlot (56%) due to its higher yield than Cabernet (frost and berry size). On June 20 at 8.15pm, three blocks were hit by hail that was horizontal accompanied by 25mm of rain within 10 minutes. This cost them 30% production overall. "We did less extraction at the end of the alcoholic fermentation and stopped the pumping over two days earlier at 1.010 [which without getting too technical is the Gravity of one liter of must relative to one liter of distilled water] and did more like an infusion." Aged in 55% new oak, it 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.* - 04/2023

Thewinecellarinsider.com – (94-96) pts – JL: *Deep in color, the wine is smoky, with chocolate covered plums, black raspberries, spices, violets, and cinnamon coming through in the nose. The wine is rich, lush and polished. The fruits are dark, ripe, sweet, and fresh, leaving you with a finish packed with powdered chocolate, black cherries, turmeric, black currants, plums, licorice, and espresso. This should be quite enjoyable on release. The wine blends 56% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. 14.2% ABV, 3.8 pH. Harvesting took place September 14, - September 26. Yields were only 28 hectoliters per hectare. 2025-2045.* - 05/2023