Château Calon Ségur 1989/ 2000/ 2009 - 3er OHK

"The 1989 Calon-Ségur is a vintage that I have tasted regularly over the years. I tasted this wine on two separate occasions, firstly at the property in December 2018 and secondly at a dinner in London in July 2019. Strangely, the latter was a far superior bottle. At 30-years of age it sports thin bricking on the rim, not dissimilar the 1989 Cos d’Estournel. The bouquet on the ex-château bottle was surprisingly light and ferrous whereas the bottle in London bestows far more red fruit laced with iron filing and sandalwood. Observing its evolution in glass over 30 minutes it evolves satisying cohesion with irresistible sous-bois and more dried flower scents. The palate on both bottles is medium-bodied, though perversely felt more rustic, the tannins coarser on the ex-château bottle. The bottle in London was framed by my pliant tannins and certainly displayed more fruit with an array of gorgeous brambly red fruit, thyme and tobacco notes. And whereas the Bordeaux bottle attenuated towards the finish, this London bottle came across more generous and with grip. I scored the Bordeaux bottle in the high 80s, however the London bottle was an absolute joy amidst much grander vinous company and my score reflects this." -  Neal Martin (09/2019)

"The 2000 Calon-Ségur still appears quite youthful on the rim. The well-defined nose offers brambly red fruit, red currant, crushed strawberry, rose petals and cedar, and some sous-bois just loitering in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with refined tannins. This has mellowed since I tasted it in London five years ago, and touches of tobacco and tart red cherries enliven the finish. I have always loved this millennial Calon-Ségur and now it is à point and drinking beautifully. Aged in 50% new oak and 50% one-year-old for 12 months (less than nowadays.)" - Neal Martin (06/2021)

"The 2009 Calon Ségur offers powerful black fruit, melted road tar, tobacco and pencil shaving scents, here with a touch of wild mint that surfaces after 15-20 minutes. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly grainy texture. This solid Saint-Estèphe is shaking off the baby fat of that vintage and is more reserved than the previous bottle encountered four years ago. But I appreciate the edginess of the finish. Give it a couple more years. Tasted at the private room at Noble Rot Soho." - Neal Martin (04/2023)

"With a lot of fennel and earth character this is a classic St.-Estèphe, but on the palate it has a suppleness that's modern in the best sense. Needs time to soften. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019" (03/2019)

"A big step up over the 2008 and, I suspect, the finest wine from this estate in the 2000s, the 2009 Château Calon Ségur reveals a healthy ruby hue to go with textbook notes of red and black currants, tobacco leaf, damp earth, gamey meats, and Asian-like spices. This is classic, traditionally made Bordeaux, with full-bodied richness, a layered, structure mouthfeel, wonderful sweetness of fruit, and a great finish. A wine that starts out tight and reserved yet builds with air, don't be afraid to give bottles plenty of air if drinking any time soon. It's certainly in its drink window, yet also has another 30-40 years of longevity ahead of it." (11/2020)

"An enormous, bruising, highly extracted wine. Dark brick-red color. Plummy, earthy aromas and hints of aniseed and game. Full-bodied, incredibly ripe, with raisin, tobacco and earth on the slightly dry and overextracted finish. Overdone? I overrated this when it was young.--1989 Bordeaux horizontal. Best after 2004. 21,000 cases made."

"An underrated wine, the 1989 Calon-Ségur is drinking beautifully, unfurling to reveal aromas of cherries and dark berries mingled with notions of cigar box, loamy soil, black truffles and grilled meats. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and muscular, with a generous core of fruit, ripe tannins, low acidity and a long, lusty finish, it is another 1989 that's going from strength to strength as its structure softens with age." - William Kelley (02/2022)

"Tasted from an ex-château bottle at BI Wine & Spirits Calon-Segur dinner in London. The 2000 Calon Segur is one of those wines that reminds you how great the millennial vintage could be. Now at fifteen years old, it has a brilliant, vivacious red berry nose infused with ash and cigar box aromas. The detail here is a beguiling and it just "sings" Saint Estèphe. The palate is medium-bodied with dense, firm tannin that provide a rigid backbone, but it is swathed in copious tobacco-drenched black fruit and a superb line of acidity. It finishes with a twist of bitter cherry on the finish that completes what is a deeply impressive Calon-Ségur; it might just outclass the 2005. Tasted March 2015." - Neal Martin (10/2016)

"The 2009 Calon-Ségur is deep garnet in color and opens with a beautiful fragrance of redcurrant preserves, cassis, black cherry compote and red roses plus nuances of cigar box and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied and wonderfully elegant in the mouth, it has a compelling line of very ripe, fine-grained tannins and oodles of freshness supporting the fragrant layers, finishing long and perfumed." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (03/2019)