Wine Advocate 94James Suckling 94Wine Advocate 93James Suckling 93
Bordeaux

2005 Château Calon-Ségur

Tasted from an ex-château bottle at BI Wine & Spirits Calon-Segur dinner in London, the 2005 Calon Segur is on par with the wonderful 2000. The only real difference is that this needs more time in bottle. It has a captivating nose: blackberry and boysenberry fruit coming at you at full pelt; dried blood and bacon fat developing as secondary aromas just behind. There is fine delineation here - an underlying mineralité sure to surface with time. The palate is very intense and disarmingly youthful, almost ferrous on the entry with layers of ripe black fruit that segue into an earthy finish (with a curious light tang of Marmite on the aftertaste!). It is a fabulous Calon Ségur, though the millennial wine might ultimately possess greater precision. We will see. Tasted March 2015. Read more
Critic Reviews
Expert Review
94 POINTS
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate

Tasted from an ex-château bottle at BI Wine & Spirits Calon-Segur dinner in London, the 2005 Calon Segur is on par with the wonderful 2000. The only real difference is that this needs more time in bottle. It has a captivating nose: blackberry and boysenberry fruit coming at you at full pelt; dried blood and bacon fat developing as secondary aromas just behind. There is fine delineation here - an underlying mineralité sure to surface with time. The palate is very intense and disarmingly youthful, almost ferrous on the entry with layers of ripe black fruit that segue into an earthy finish (with a curious light tang of Marmite on the aftertaste!). It is a fabulous Calon Ségur, though the millennial wine might ultimately possess greater precision. We will see. Tasted March 2015.

Expert Review
94 POINTS
James Suckling

Tight and dense still but so integrated and seamless in texture. Aromas of chocolate, hazelnuts, dried spices and currants. Full body, superfine tannins and a texture that is so caressing and beautiful. Drink or hold.

Expert Review
93 POINTS
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

The 2005 is a beautiful Calon Ségur, with sweet mocha, black cherry, leathery fruit, medium to full body, attractive purity, a gorgeous texture, and serious nobility, gravitas and density. Drink it over the next 20-30 years, yet it is surprisingly accessible.

Expert Review
93 POINTS
James Suckling

A dense, structured red with beautiful aromas of chocolate, hazelnut, dried spices and currants. Full body with superfine tannins and a tight finish. This is a wine that is just beginning to be drinkable but has a long, long life ahead of it. Taste now and dream of the future. Better in 2016.

Expert Review
93 POINTS
James Suckling - Wine Spectator

Has a beautiful nose of crushed berry, spices and nutmeg, with a hint of coffee. Then turns to licorice. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long finish of vanilla, berry and cinnamon. Beautifully crafted. Best after 2014. 17,500 cases made.

Expert Review
93 POINTS
Charles Curtis MW - Decanter

Firm and structured, the Calon-Ségur remains surprisingly muscular. Produced from a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and a splash of Petit Verdot, all aged in new casks, this shows a bright redcurrant and mint nose with a bit of spice and smoke. The feel on the palate is tannic and firm, perhaps lacking a bit of generosity at this point, but the rich extract suggests that with time it should come around.

Expert Review
92 POINTS
Stephen Tanzer - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Deep, bright ruby-red. Deeply pitched aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, leather, smoked meat, earth and menthol. Chewy, brooding and deep, with concentrated black cherry, menthol, mineral and leather flavors framed by a powerful spine of acids and tannins. Really saturates the palate on the tannic back end. I'd give this classic St. Estephe a decade of aging, at which time this wine may well merit an even higher score. 92(+?)

Expert Review
Jancis Robinson MW

Light, correct nose. Dry finish. Utterly correct old-fashioned St-Estèphe. This has great charm for me as a completely unreconstructed classic red bordeaux. Thick and stuffed full of vineyard. 13% Drink 2024-2045 18/20

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Technical Attributes
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Tasting Notes

Firm and structured, the Calon-Ségur remains surprisingly muscular. Produced from a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and a splash of Petit Verdot, all aged in new casks, this shows a bright redcurrant and mint nose with a bit of spice and smoke. The feel on the palate is tannic and firm, perhaps lacking a bit of generosity at this point, but the rich extract suggests that with time it should come around. Charles Curtis MW Decanter 93 Points

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Winemakers Note

Calon Ségur, bounded by the heart At the centre of all our concerns and in the centre of the bottle label, the heart has been the symbol of Calon since the 18th century, thanks to the Marquis de Ségur and this sentence which has travelled through time: “I make wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is at Calon” . The Marquis de Ségur, the so-called Prince of Vines, was one of the most influential men in Bordeaux and reigned over some of the top Médoc wine growths. His wines delighted Versailles and subsequently charmed all the courts of Europe. In the 19th century, the heart was engraved on the façade of the cellars. The words next to it, Premier Cru de Saint-Estèphe, underline the fact that the estate is one of the oldest in the commune. This easily recognisable heart with its width and gentle curves signed at the beginning of the 20th century the first labels. It is also a reminder that between wine lovers and Calon there has always been something special – a relationship that goes beyond simple reasoning.

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