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Château Phélan Ségur

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Address: 33180 St Estèphe

Telephone: +33 (0)5 56 59 74 00

E-mail: phelan@phelan-segur.com

Website: www.phelan-segur.com

Château Phélan Ségur was created by Irishman Frank Phélan in the nineteenth century when he merged two properties, Château Ségur and Clos de Garramey. The vineyards enjoy an excellent aspect that faces the Gironde estuary and Phélan Ségur produces excellent St Estèphe. There is a second wine produced here called Frank Phélan. Today the estate is owned by the Xavier Gardner family.

Vineyard/Terroir: 90 hectares planted on clay-gravel rises overlooking the Gironde estuary planted with 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc.

Winemaking/Elévage: Temperature controlled fermentation followed by ageing oak barrels, 50-60% new depending on the vintage.

Tasting notes:

  • 2015 Deep at core; purple at edge; attractive aromatics; solid feel here; fruitcake spices; seam of black cherry fruit beneath; creamy fruit but also minerality; wet rocks; good freshness on the palate. Intelligent wine. [53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 49hl/ha, 13.5%]. Drink 2023-2030. Tasted UGCB at Lafon-Rochet 5/4/16. 88-90
  • 2014 Deep and dark; wet rocks; chalk; minerality; black cherries; palate has fragrance; blackcurrant fruit; tautness; acidity but also extract; correct on the palate; extract and grip; length and some chew currently on the finish. Goodish and will fill out I expect. [64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot. 13.5% alc, 3.6TA 50% new oak, 85 IPT]. Drink 2020-2030. Tasted UGC 2 April, 2015. 88-90+
  • 2013 Deep core, purple at edge; pure and polished on the nose; sweetness; black fruits; quite sappy and chewy but the elements are there. Will be a gutsy effort. Tasted 1/4/14. 86-88 [later note] Deep at core; vibrant purple at edge; fresh; some graphite and blackcurrant notes; purity; grippy palate with evident extract and material. Nice grip and chew. [60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 50% new oak, 12.7% alc]. Tasted UGC 3/4/14. Drink 2018-2025. 86-88
  • 2012 Mid depth; resin, some blackcurrant notes; fresh and grippy palate but with enough flesh to support the structure. Not a show stopper but an attractive mid-weight vintage of some style for Phélan Ségur. Drink 2018-2027. 88+ UGC Oct ’14 [Earlier note] Nice glossy look; dark; blackcurrant fruit, some plum, some minerality; lots of depth and interest here; cream and cassis too; palate quite dense at first; lots of fruit here; oak a little present; some length and a bit of chew at the finish. Overall feels nicely balanced and elegant. Tasted UGC Thursday April 11, 2013. 87-89+ [Earlier note] Deep and saturated look; lovely pretty fruit; some rose petal; blackcurrant and black cherry; some mineral and earth; very attractive; good entry; positive palate and a certain elegance to the extraction; nicely balanced on the palate; tannin fine; bit of zip on the finish too. Impressive effort. 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% new oak, 13.2% Tasted UGC Tuesday April 9, 2013. 89-91+ Drink 2018-2030
  • 2011 Deep-ish; clean and pure cassis and blackcurrant tones; little leaf; Cabernet again dominates the palate; stalky note; quite complete overall; acid shows in the grip but a reasonably polished effort for the vintage. Drink 2016-2026. 87 UGC Oct ’13 [Earlier note] Lots of depth and colour; concentration on the nose; layers, nice depth; this looks good; cassis, plenty of fruit; ripe; some mineral; blackcurrant; lusher than it is usually at this primeur stage; quite dense palate, extract, though some elegance here; maybe lacks a little body and finishes a little looser than expected. Not overdone though. Will undoubtedly show better down the track. Tasted UGC 3/4/13 and again 5/4/12 87-89+ Drink 2018-2030
  • 2010 Deep and dark; nice purity on the nose; blackcurrants; very clean and deep; oak a little more present currently on the palate. 51% Cabernet Sauvignon 49% Merlot 50% new oak. Drink 2016-2030. 90+ Vinexpo June ’13 [Earlier note] Nice depth; deep colour; glossy looking; very attractive blackcurrant nose with earthy, undergrowth edge; very attractive indeed; spicy and rich palate; quite chewy [the vintage] and lots of material but nicely handled. Lacks the flamboyance and phenomenal fruit tones of ’09 but very classic. Chewy finish with some length. Good effort indeed. 91+ UGCB Nov ’12 [Earlier note] Nice depth; deep colour; glossy looking; very attractive blackcurrant nose with earthy, undergrowth edge; very attractive indeed; spicy and rich palate; quite chewy [the vintage] and lots of material but nicely handled. Lacks the flamboyance and phenomenal fruit tones of ’09 but very classic. Chewy finish with some length. Good effort indeed. 91+ UGCB Nov ’12 [Earlier note] Deep, dense, legs; nice primary fruit; cassis, ripe with minerality too; nice palate; quite grippy with lots of tannin and acid; fresh. Good chewy wine. Nice length and savour and grip at the end 88+/100 5th April 2011 UGC. [2nd tasting UGC] Deep and saturated; ripe, lots of fruit, solid feel, blackcurrants; some density; chewy and quite dense but also some softer qualities. Chewy too with some grip. Solid 87-88/100 7th April 2011 UGC Drink 2015-2030+
  • 2009 Deep mid red; lovely seductive nose; ripe and wonderful; satin tones, blackcurrant and cassis; similarly satin quality to the palate; extremely fine wine; almost too easy but there is so much fruit here you miss the considerable structure. Quite amazing. Has moved forward substantially since primeur. Lovely wine. 92+/100 UGC Oct ’11 [Earlier note] 2009 Dark, purple at edge; creamy, some resin from oak; some roses. Stalky and fresh. Feels a bit raw at present. Disjointed but should meld. 88?/100. Tasted 30th March 2010. Drink now – 2030+
  • 2007 Mid red; some stalks and blackcurrant fruit; some spice; fresh blackcurrants with some spice; tannin and acid. Density here but still feels angular. 84-86?/100 UGC London tastings Oct ‘09 Drink now – 2020

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