2023 Calon Segur

Checking in as a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot aged 18 months in 60% new oak, the 2023 Château Calon Ségur is a big, fleshy, opulent style of Calon that shows the riper side of the vintage. Its deep purple hue is followed by black and blue fruits, smoky tobacco, loamy earth, and graphite on the nose. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has ripe, round tannins and considerable baby fat at this stage, which is rare for a 2023. Give bottles 4-5 years to gain some harmony and elegance, and it should see its 30th birthday in fine form. Drink 2030-2053.

The 2023 Calon Ségur is every bit as impressive as it was en primeur . Today, I find it a bit tight texturally, but that won't be an issue in time. Dark-toned fruit, lavender, dried herbs, licorice, menthol, gravel and chocolate are some of the notes that take shape in the glass. Cabernet Sauvignon is very much front and center. The 2023 is a wine of reserve; I won't be surprised if it is even better in a few years.

The 2023 Calon Ségur, aged entirely in new oak, is quintessential Saint-Estèphe on the nose, with blackberry and wild hedgerow scents, slate and graphite, paradoxically standoffish but luring you in. Impressive delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins. Quite linear in style, a little more peppery than I recollect from barrel, it has an insistent grip and admirable sustain on the aftertaste. Very fine.