CHÂTEAU CALON SÉGUR

Vincent Millet continues to achieve great things at Calon, following up his delicious 2009 with an equally wonderful 2010. There’s more Cabernet this year and a greater percentage of press wine, but this still has a texture and finesse that set Calon apart from the other more masculine Saint Estèphes. Coffee bean oak from 100% new barrels, but the wine has the richness to cope. 20+ years. Rating: 97 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2011)

A higher alcohol content (13.8% versus 13.4% in 2009), but lower pH (3.7 versus 3.9 in 2009) has resulted in a concentrated, textured wine that requires a decade of cellaring. It will keep for 35-40 years thereafter. The 2010 harvest at Calon Segur occurred between September 25 and October 14, and the final blend was 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. A dense ruby/purple color is followed by notes of plums, kirsch, licorice, incense and herbs. Full-bodied, moderately tannic, pure, fresh and precise, this beauty will require lots of patience from prospective purchasers. 2020-2050. Rating: 92 - 94+ Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (May 2011)

(a blend of 86% cabernet sauvignon, 12% merlot, and 2% petit verdot; pH 3.7; 13.7% alcohol) Bright ruby-purple. Complex, pure aromas of fresh blueberry, blackcurrant, truffle, violet and black pepper are accented by sexy new oak (100% this year, up from 90% in 2009). Began a bit brooding in the middle palate but gained in pliancy and richness with air, showing enticingly pure and remarkably concentrated flavors of dark berries lifted by spices and very harmonious acids. This gorgeous, seamless wine finishes extremely long, with very smooth if youthfully assertive tannins, and a lingering note of violet. A huge wine of great class and purity but one that will require enormous patience; along with Latour, this is the most backward of all the great Bordeaux of the 2010 vintage. It is also one of the very best: it reminded me of the monumental 1966 made here and I believe it will go down as one of the all time great Calon-Segurs. Flowering at Calon-Segur was very homogeneous and rapid in 2010, unlike in many other Bordeaux properties, allowing for even ripening of the berries and proper physiological maturity of tannins, something that was common to the best wines of 2010. Beginning with this vintage, the talented and soft-spoken Eric Boissenot, the main consulting winemaker to many of the Left Bank's great wines, has also begun consulting at Calon-Segur. He and Calon-Segur's technical director Vincent Millet were in the same enology class at Bordeaux University and also previously worked together at Chateau Margaux. Rating: 94-97 Ian d'Agata, www.vinousmedia.com (May 2011)

86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot. With 14% press wine all in new oak. Extremely deep purple. Really racy and energetic on the nose (compared to Montrose..?) and with great saveur on the palate. The press wine is a little evident at the moment. Very racy and fine and terroir-driven. No added sweetness. Neat and long and very authentic. No extremes; no complexes; no obvious trying? Winemaker Vincent Millet worked at Ch Margaux eight years which gave him, he says, the technique of working the Cabernet Sauvignon to gentle effect. He felt he could add finesse to the tannins. 2020-2035 Rating: 18 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2011)

Superb expression of black fruits, sensational depth of supple/succulent flavours, great harmony, purity and length, for me the best Saint-Estèphe this year. Drink 2020-50. Rating: *****19 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2011)

Primeur sample tasted at the Château, the Calon-Segur is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, the Cabernet cropped between the 5th and 14th October. It has all those tertiary, smoky scents one associated with this Saint Estephe, quite rustic when compared to Montrose ’10 but full of character and freshness. The palate is medium-bodied with quite brusque tannins on the entry, a little aggressive when compared to some of the other primeur samples but this will be polished by the oak before bottling. There is a lot of matière: masculine, earthy, gentle but insistent grip that leads to finish as redoubtable as Mme Gasqueton herself, It is a little rough round the edges at this stage and I just feel that 100% new oak is maybe a little excessive? Nonetheless, it retains freshness and is very promising. 2020- Rating: 91-93+ Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2011)

A racy and refined red, with currants and hints of tobacco. Full and very silky. Delicate and elegant. Very long, with wonderful acidity. So friendly at this stage. A touch of fresh herbs. Like to see a little more concentration but outstanding. 86 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 12 percent Merlot and 27 percent Petit Verdot. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2011)