St Estèphe has made some very good wine in 2015 but the appellation has not done as well as in 2014 in my book. This is down to the heavy rain showers in mid September, the residual effect of ‘Storm Henry,’ that arrived on the eve of the Merlot harvest, a key varietal component to many of the wines in St Estèphe. While conditions improved from mid September until early October, how estates and different terroirs responded to these conditions determined the relative levels of success. There are some top wines in the appellation – Château Cos d’Estournel, Château Montrose, Château Calon-Ségur, Château Lafon-Rochet and Château Meyney spring to mind – but there is not the uniformity here for me of 2014, nor the exciting power in the wines. Whether 2015 will claw back some of that ground during elévage remains to be seen.

Château Calon Ségur is one of my favourite properties in Bordeaux. This is exceptional terroir in St Estèphe produces some of the finest and most classical claret. Regularly the château pulls a rabbit out of the hat in tricky vintages – it made a good fist of things in 2011 and in 2013. In good vintages like 2012 and 2014 it really excelled. For me 2009 and 2010 show the heights this property can command, two stand-out wines, easily of first growth quality. So what of Calon in 2015? It is not as immediately powerful as the 2014, but shows attractive texture and balance. It is defined by beautiful Cabernet fruit tones and should fill out further during elévage.

For me St Estèphe has produced some of the 2014 vintage’s most exciting wines. I’ve already written on Château Cos d’Estournel, Château Calon Ségur and Château Montrose who have jointly produced a set of 2014s can will probably hold their own alongside their remarkable 2010s. But this is not the end of the story. Very impressive wines have also been made at Château Capbern, Château Lafon-Rochet, Château Meyney, Château Ormes de Pez, Château Phélan Ségur, and Château Tronquoy-Lalande. Château Le Boscq, Château La Commanderie, Château Le Crock are all potentially excellent too. I’m a great fan of this appellation usually but 2014 is a wonderful vintage here. Given the reasonable pricing of so many of these wines, this vintage provides an excellent hunting ground for price-savvy Bordeaux enthusiasts. 

For me Château Calon Ségur is one of the wines of the vintage in 2014. This is enthralling St Estèphe and it is not far off the quality of the legendary 2009 and 2010. Calon’s technical director Vincent Millet described 2014 as ‘very exciting.’ The technical analysis is similar to that of 2010 and 2012, and in terms of flowering and picking conditions, similar to 2009. The purity here in 2014 is exceptional. The grace and delicacy is difficult to match, but there is also considerable concentration in 2014 too. Château Capbern, the ‘Gasqueston’ now dropped from the name, is vivacious and enticing in this vintage, a year in which St Estèphe reigns supreme.