Shop Wine

wines

Shows beautiful age and character now after all this time in the bottle. Notes of earth, spice and ripe berries. Full and juicy, with round tannins.James Suckling | 95 JSBlockbuster. Dark ruby color. Intense aromas of blackberries, currants, cherries and minerals.Full-bodied, very tannic yet velvety in texture.Black licorice and berry character lasts forminutes. Long, chewy finish. A monster.--1990Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2010. 20,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSOne of this estate’s superstars (only rivaled by the 1986 and 1996), the 1990 Lagrange exhibits sweet toasty oak notes intermixed with jammy blackberries, cassis, licorice, smoke, and underbrush. Full-bodied with lovely melted tannins, an opulent, fleshy mouthfeel, and loads of purity as well as depth, it has reached full maturity, but is capable of lasting another 10-15 years. Release price: ($210.00/case)Robert Parker | 94 RP The 1990 Lagrange is a terrific wine, and clearly one of the top vintages to be produced at the estate since Suntory purchased it in 1983. The bouquet today is deep and beautiful, as it offers up a mélange of very pure black cherry fruit, cigar ash, woodsmoke, a fine base of soil, espresso and a deft framing of new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and very pure, with great refinement to its balance and focus, very classic structure, fine-grained, ripe tannins and excellent length and grip on the complex and elegant finish. A superb wine that only needs a few more years to really reach its apogee, but which should offer up a very long plateau of maturity. Fine juice. (Drink between 2010-2060)John Gilman | 93+ JGThe 1990 Lagrange was picked from 22 September until 10 October. I have always been lukewarm to the 1990 when others have been more adulatory, though this is the best bottle that I have encountered. The bouquet is well defined with pressed flowers, orange pith, brambly red fruit and warm gravel, warm and inviting aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and shows more harmony and cohesion than the 1989. There is more finesse, commendable in a hot season, with Indian spices lining the harmonious finish. A touch of dryness suggests that it may well be commencing a downward slope, but it will be a gentle one! Tasted at the Lagrange vertical at the estate.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Saturated ruby-red. Pure, highly perfumed aromas of black cherry, currant, plum, minerals, tobacco, leather and fresh herbs. Very ripe, suave and spicy; at once subtle and gripping. Lovely cabernet character dominating today. Very firm, long finish is youthful but not hard-edged. Showing extremely well.Vinous Media | 93+ VM(Château Calon-Ségur) Along with the 2001, the 1996 vintage at Calon-Ségur is one of my favorite from the merlot-centric era at the estate, probably because the vintage favored cabernet sauvignon so clearly in the Médoc and a bit more of this grape was included in the blend at Calon in this vintage. The bouquet is deep, vibrant and youthfully precise, wafting from the glass in a mix of cassis, dark berries, cigar ash, dark soil tones, a touch of curry and a gentle framing of cedary wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and impressively tangy, with a fine core of fruit, currently a quite tightly-knit personality, well-integrated tannins and very, very good length and grip on the focused and still quite youthful finish. This is going to be a lovely wine in another eight to ten years’ time and should prove to be quite long-lived. I love to imagine what the current team at Calon would have done with a vintage such as 1996 today! (Drink between 2020-2050)John Gilman | 92 JGThe 1996 may not be as profound as I had predicted from cask, but it is an exceptional wine. Dark ruby-colored, with a complex nose of dried herbs, Asian spices, and black cherry jam intermixed with cassis, it possesses outstanding purity, and considerable tannin in the finish. This classic, medium to full-bodied, traditionally made wine improves dramatically with airing, suggesting it will have a very long life. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2028.Robert Parker | 92 RPFully mature and drinking wonderfully well, the 1996 Château Calon Ségur has a classic nose of green tobacco, cedarwood, currants, and sous bois. Playing in the medium-bodied end of the spectrum, it has a wonderful sense of purity, polished tannins, solid mid-palate depth, and outstanding length. This is classic, focused, old school yet pure, balanced Bordeaux goodness. It has another two decades of prime drinking ahead of it. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, brought up in 50% new French oak.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDCurrant and fresh herbs. Full- to medium-bodied, with plum flavors and a medium finish.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 1998 Calon-Ségur, blended of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, is deep garnet-purple in color with just a touch of brick and a very earthy/meaty nose with notions of new leather, smoked game, truffles, dusty soil, iron ore and mossy bark over a core of crème de cassis, preserved plums, spice cake and unsmoked cigars plus a waft of incense. The palate is medium-bodied and packed with spicy and earthy layers with velvety tannins, seamless freshness and great length. Give it 10 to 15+ more years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

A dense, traditionally crafted wine for those with patience, the 2000 Calon-Segur rivals the estate’s finest wines of the last two decades, the 1995, 1988, and 1982. But be forewarned, this wine has already closed down, something totally in character with all top vintages from this estate. This blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc exhibits a plum/purple color along with gorgeous aromas of creosote intermixed with spring flowers, black cherries, cassis, licorice, and stony, liquid minerals. A powerful, tannic, full-bodied and opulent wine, it possesses considerable structure that is reasonably well-concealed by considerable glycerin and intensity. Look for it to be at its best between 2012-2040. Patience, patience, patience!Robert Parker | 94 RPThe 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.)Vinous Media | 93 VMThis is a solid, huge wine, with rich but very dry tannins. With its dense, almost black color, and its sense of brooding power, it promises long aging. It will never be in the opulent Bordeaux camp, despite its prominent new wood flavors, but will probably outlive all but a handful top wines.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE(Château Calon-Ségur) The 2000 Calon-Ségur is a very closed, very grumpy wine at the present time, and this is a characteristic that it shares at the present time with a great many wines from this vintage. The blend here included forty-two percent merlot in 2000 and the wine offers up a very deep-pitched and adolescent bouquet of black fruit, inky tones, damp, dark soil, dried eucalyptus, coffee grounds and cigar smoke. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, closed down and quite dense at the core, with a gritty edge to its firm and chewy tannins, little generosity at the present time, but also with impressive grip on the closed, but very, very long finish. The length on the backend here really gives me some hope for the future of this wine, but it is really in a very difficult place for current assessment and I do not have a strong sense of whether or not this wine will always be a bit charmless, or if this is simply a passing phase and it will blossom to deliver some of Calons’ inherent breed with sufficient bottle age. (Drink between 2025-2065)John Gilman | 88-92+ JGThis shows a noticeable leafy edge, with tobacco, light cedar, bay and worn leather notes holding sway over a core of lightly mulled red currant and plum fruit flavors. Not as dense as the top examples, but everything pulls together nicely through the fine-grained finish.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

(Château Lagrange) The 2000 vintage of Lagrange is one of the most powerfully built that I have tasted from the Suntory era, and it will take many years for this deep and classy wine to reach its apogee. I very much like the cool fruit tones of the 2000 on both the nose and palate. The bouquet is a fine, reserved blend of cassis, bell pepper, espresso, black cherries, a bit of youthful horsiness, an impressive base of soil tones, tobacco leaf and a very vague impression of new oak buried somewhere in the aromatic depths of the wine. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and very young, with a rock solid structure, ripe tannins, good acids and excellent focus and grip on the very long, palate-staining and chewy finish. While the 2005’s great tangy acids will carry the wine far into the future, the 2000 vintage gets my vote for the potentially longest-lived wine that this property has yet produced since the changeover in 1983. Most promising. (Drink between 2022-2080)John Gilman | 94 JGAn impressive performance by Lagrange, the 2000 possesses a saturated ruby/purple color with obvious notes of melted licorice, creme de cassis, and toasty new oak. This ripe, dense, full-bodied St.-Julien is chewy, thick, high in tannin, large-bodied, and impressively long and dense. As always, it is less expressive than some of its peers, but it is loaded as well as reasonably priced. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030.Robert Parker | 93 RPThis is a muscular red, rippling with bramble-edged tannins that push the dense core of blackberry, fig and boysenberry fruit paste flavors along. Juicy star anise notes and a swath of well-roasted apple wood add even more range on the finish, which is seriously long. Just ever so slightly woodsy in the end, but a terrific showing.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Best from 2018 through 2028. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA wine that is just starting to wake up after a long sleep. It’s medium-to-full-bodied, with super-integrated tannins and a lead-pencil, currant and berry character. Lemon peel undertones. Lovely silky texture. Drink now and beyond.James Suckling | 93 JSNo written review provided. | 93 W&S(includes 76% cabernet sauvignon, the highest percentage ever at Lagrange) Deep, saturated bright ruby-purple. Brooding aromas of cassis, violet and cedar ("hibernating now," says Ducasse). Very densely packed but very closed and extremely backward. Nearly painful flavors of black fruits, violet and menthol. Finishes very firm and very long, with powerful tannins supported by the wine’s flesh. Forget this wine until 2015. The petit verdot was left out of the blend, notes Ducasse, "because it was too strong, too muscular, not elegant. " Only time will tell if this wine surpasses the 1996.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s tasting and at the château, the 2006 Calon Segur was current winemaker Vincent Millet’s first vintage. In many ways, you can see it as one of the last of the "old style" Calon Segur wines with a higher percentage of Merlot than nowadays (the 2006 consists of 33% Merlot), while I aver that the tannins are not as fine as they are nowadays. The Merlot component is vividly expressed on the nose with ravishing ripe red cherries, kirsch and strawberry, just slightly smudged by the alcohol. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannin, quite sexy in style but it does not have the class of more recent vintages and it seems to have remained tough up on the finish. It will loosen up with time, so afford this another 6-8 years in bottle. Tasted January 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMNot a wine that will please everyone. This has the austerity and backward thinking of 2006 mixed with the sleek fruit of Calon; rich, dark and not at all showy. Instead, it is subtle, delicate and thoroughly lovely. Drinking Window 2017 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECFocused and fresh, with violet and blackberry aromas and vanilla undertones. Full-bodied, with very pretty berry fruit character, fine tannins and a long, caressing finish. Refined. Best after 2014. 14,445 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS(Château Calon-Ségur) The 2006 Calon-Ségur (as noted above) was the first vintage produced under the guiding hand of Vincent Millet and this wine was a return to the classic cépages at the estate of predominantly cabernet sauvignon, after the detrimental increase in the percentage of merlot in the blend between 1990 and 2005. The wine is very, very closed today, but it is going to be a lovely wine with sufficient bottle age, as the wine is very well-balanced and simply needs time alone in the cellar to resolve its considerable chassis of tannin. The deep and still quite youthful nose reluctantly offers up scents of black cherries, curry, blossoming notes of dried eucalyptus, dark soil tones, cigar ash and a stylish base of new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full- bodied and completely in its dumb phase, with a very good core, ripe, chewy tannins, lovely focus and a very long, currently quite hermetically-sealed finish. This is a good eight to ten years away from blossoming, but it will be excellent if given sufficient patience. (Drink between 2022-2050).John Gilman | 92 JGAromas of perfumes and blueberries with minerals. Medium-to-full body, fine tannins and a tangy, fresh finish. Attractive tension and austerity to this. Savory and juicy. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 91 JSBright ruby-red. Perfumed, terroir-driven aromas and flavors of redcurrant, licorice, iron, cinders, woodsmoke, minerals and pepper, plus a whiff of meat. At once dense and suave, with herbal and peppery nuances contributing to the wine’s impression of insinuating vinosity and inner-mouth aromatic character. Almost rustic in its soil tones but not in its refined texture. Finishes with building tannins and a juicy freshness. A wine worth following.Vinous Media | 90+ VMThis wine’s rich red fruit rides above firm, stony St-Estèphe tannins, the contrast providing some delicate detail and more serious depth. As the tannins increase their grip with air, the fruit gets redder, like the skin of a ripening plum. Calon-Ségur, on a hill just outside the village of St-Estèphe, often grows vin de garde; this vintage should be a keeper.Wine & Spirits | 90 W&S

A Saint-Estèphe of stature and vertical intensity, the 2021 Calon Ségur dazzles from the very first taste. Spice, menthol, licorice, black cherry, mint and espresso are some of the many notes that build with a bit of coaxing. The 2021 clocks in at a modest 12.9% in alcohol, yet it possesses tremendous density and textural resonance. What a wine! Tasted two times.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe Grand Vin 2021 Château Calon Ségur is one heck of a winner in the vintage and is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot. Hitting 12.9% alcohol, its deep purple hue is followed by a gorgeous bouquet of cassis, violets, ripe darker raspberries, and spring flowers. It’s elegant and has a great mid-palate, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It’s unquestionably one of the gems from the Médoc and will round into form with 3-5 years of bottle age and, I suspect, be long-lived.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-97 JDA fine Calon Ségur this year with 92% Cabernet, the highest in the blend since the 2009 vintage. This is rich and dark with a spiced nose full of black chocolate and black pepper edged by soft floral notes. Graceful and refined on the palate bursting with freshness and such integrated tannins. Smooth but on the mineral edge so you get that hint of austerity/salinity together with the acidity giving this some sharpness and high definition. It’s got concentration and depth but at the moment it’s so linear and detailed in its precision that it’s coming across very straight and taut. Tannins have some grip and this has a nice weight on the mid-palate leading into a long finish. I adore the sweet salty tang at the end. I’m looking forward to tasting this in bottle. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.65pH. No chaptalisation. A yield of 36hl/ha. 20 months ageing, 100% new oak barrels.Decanter | 95 DECRevisited in bottle, the 2021 Calon-Ségur opens in the glass with aromas of dark berries mingled with aromas of violets, pencil shavings, lilac, Indian spices, cigar wrapper and grilled meats. Medium to full-bodied, dense and suave, with powdery tannins, lively acids and a penetratingly sapid and discreetly carnal finish, it appears to have lost a touch of aromatic precision during élevage, but it remains a compelling Calon-Ségur.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPA step ahead of the pack in this vintage, this offers a hint of polish to fleshier-than-most cassis and plum puree flavors. Solidly built, with a well-buried chalky spine, plus tangy acidity. Lilac, bay and black tea notes add range on the finish. Shows the vintage’s taut character, but this has more depth and better proportion than most of its colleagues. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2037. 7,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA juicy and caressingly astringent red with currant, berry and cedar aromas with citrus undertones. Medium body. Firm and silky with a delicious finish. A little tight at the end. Two or three years will open it up.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2021 Calon Segur is deep garnet-purple in color. It sashays out with vibrant notes of wild blueberries, raspberry coulis, and cassis followed by hints of bay leaves, camphor, and cedar. Light-bodied, the palate is delicately styled with loads of zip lifting the finely packed fruit, finishing long and fragrant. The blend is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot.The Wine Independent | 90-92 TWI