Château Phélan Ségur 2020

A sleek, taut, winey style, with a mix of red and black currant coulis notes that stretch out over hints of charcoal, tobacco and wet stone. Shows a sanguine echo through the finish, with nice range and character overall. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2038. 15,000 cases made.

Clean and compelling, quite richly textured with bright black fruits but also savoury touches. This is brooding and you can feel the power and the concentration of the vintage. Ripe tannins remain prominent with spiced edges giving tension and linearity throughout. Forward, intense but detailed, nuanced and seductive. Feels well worked, salty and tangy. Give it time but this will have fans. So sleek and well controlled with bite. Lovely.

Complex and subtle aromas of blackcurrants, hazelnut, bark, mushrooms and chocolate follow through to a full body, with racy, long tannins that run the length of the wine. Classically structured. Polished yet musical. Very Phelan. 54% cabernet sauvignon, 42% merlot, 2% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Try after 2027.

Cask sample taken on 25 May and air-freighted to London immediately. A second sample. 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. A St-Estèphe property with a relatively low proportion of Cabernet. Very deep crimson indeed. Almost extraordinary depth of colour. A cool, slightly dry finish after a spectacularly ripe palate entry and mid palate. Not one of the longest finishes and I'm not sure I would guess it was a St-Estèphe if I were served it blind, but its ripe fruit offers lots of pleasure. This sample certainly isn't too tannic. (JR)

The 2020 Phélan Ségur is powerful yet elegant, with so much to offer. There's terrific depth to the 2020, right from the start. Succulent dark cherry, leather, espresso, dried herbs, incense and spice infuse the 2020 with remarkable depth. Even with all of its obvious power, the 2020 has an element of sweetness in the tannin that is so alluring. It will be interesting to see if the 2020 opens a bit more with time in bottle. I suspect it will.

Chocolate, espresso, cedar, spice, currants and incense aromatics are all over the place here. On the palate, the concentrated, deep wine offers lift, lush, sensuously textured layers, with multiple strata of sweet, ripe, dark red fruits and a touch of polish to the tannins. The wine lingers and expands on your palate, making you want to taste it again for the sheer pleasure. This is the finest vintage ever produced by Phelan Segur. Fans of the estate should be all over this gem! Drink from 2025–2045.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections. Dark berry fruit with undertones of noble wood, delicate black cherry and liquorice. Juicy, red berry nuances, fresh, well-structured, well-integrated tannins, salty-lemon aftertaste. Has ageing potential.

Inky dark core and hue. Fragrant nose offering crushed dark berries, cassis, cherry, fine oak, mild spice and tobacco notes. The palate delivers good concentration and density with finely rounded extract and grainy tannins, mild butterscotch, toast and coffee notes, plenty of dark fruit, savoury character and a long, meaty finish.

The Grand Vin 2020 Château Phelan Ségur from director Véronique Dausse checks in as 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and 2% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, and this is the first time that blend has included all four varieties. Aged 18 months in 55% new French oak, its vivid purple color is followed by a gorgeous bouquet of pure cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as complex floral, spice, and crushed stone-like minerality. Medium to full-bodied and flawlessly balanced, with silky tannins, it's an incredibly classy, seamless, elegant 2020 that shows the ripe yet classic style of this incredible vintage. It will evolve gracefully for over two decades.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: (54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 13.5% vol. alcohol) Dense, deep, mineral and complex bouquet, black berries, currants, slate, fine graphite, tobacco, dark chocolate. Densely woven, elegant, fresh palate with plenty of fine tannins, a dense, finely muscular structure, dense, dark, varied aromatics, fresh, velvety fruit, long, dense, fine finish.

(54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 13.5% alc./vol.) Dense, deep, mineral, complex bouquet: black berries, currants, slate, a fine touch of graphite, tobacco, dark chocolate. Finely woven, elegant, fresh palate with plenty of fine tannins, a dense, finely muscular structure, dark, rich and varied aromatics, fresh, velvety fruit, long, dense, refined finish. 18/20 2027 - 2050

Delivering, as it so often does, richly textured, concentrated and powerful black fruits, a sterling example of the 2020 vintage in St Estèphe, turmeric, crayon and smoked earth notes, lime blossom and pomegranate adding texture and complexity, great stuff. Yields 40hl/ha, harvest September 16 through to October 1, finishing around 10 days earlier than the past two years. Consultants Michel Rolland and Julien Viaud. First vintage with Petit Verdot included in the main wine, from vines planted in 2013.

94-95

On the nose, a fairly classic Claret bouquet with woody notes, dead leaves and tobacco. Then come vanilla, tiaré flower and dark fruit. The palate is lighter than the nose, with some oak and a long finish, evoking the languor of a savannah landscape crossed by felines.

Notes of graphite, black berries and cedar, complemented by a hint of cocoa beans. Charming, elegant and generous in scope, the wine has very fine, perfectly integrated tannins. To counterbalance its inherently charming profile, the wine offers refreshing resources thanks to an acid structure that brings energy. A Phélan that fully embraces its ambitions and has the potential to age in the cellar, though it may well be drunk before then.

The wine has a medium-intensity ruby color. The nose is initially perfumed and oaky, expressing notes of toasted oak, toasted hazelnut (even caramelized) and toasted almond. Then come freshness and a lovely fruit core, with notes of wild mint, menthol, pine needles, pine sap, fresh strawberry, crushed raspberry, fresh blackcurrant, blueberry, Morello cherry and red cherry, along with an elegant floral bouquet (violet, cornflower, rose) and sweet spices (licorice, nutmeg). The palate is tasty, gourmand and airy, with a beautiful structure of firm yet melted tannins, and plenty of elegance. The wine first delivers pleasant notes of sweet spices (ground cumin, clove, licorice) and a smoky touch, combined with fruity flavors (roasted red cherry, wild strawberry, creamy blackcurrant, Morello cherry, redcurrant jelly, blueberry) and floral tones (violet, cornflower, peony). The finish is long and fresh, with lovely acidity and indulgence, carried by notes of cocoa and chocolate-covered cherry on the aftertaste. The tannins are tighter on the finish but can round out with time. Elegance, strong structure and good potential.

Dark, intense, and beautiful color. Very aromatic nose, with ripe and fresh fruit, even a touch cool. Juicy on the attack, well-built mid-palate, flavorful; the wine melts on the finish—juicy, pleasant, with no tannic edges. Very good length.

It was a favorite at en primeur and… it still is! A purple robe with garnet highlights, a floral nose of old roses followed by an earthy, wild palette. A taut attack, firm, nervy chew, yet with a broad texture, creamy on the finish, with flavors of licorice, coffee, and graphite. The first vintage with all four grape varieties—a remarkable Saint-Estèphe.

The 2020 Phélan Ségur is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it skips out of the glass with youthful, carefree scents of redcurrant jelly, blackcurrant pastilles, black raspberries, and mulberries, plus suggestions of red roses, underbrush, crushed rocks, and graphite, along with a waft of cedar. The medium-bodied palate is super intense yet wonderfully elegant, delivering arresting floral and mineral accents to the layers of red and black fruits, all framed by firm, very fine-grained tannins. The finish is fantastically long, fragrant, and uplifting.

93–95. Barrel Sample. Firm tannins, very much in the traditional style of Saint-Estèphe, give this wine an intense, concentrated structure. To balance this and in the new more open style from this estate, the wine also has fine fruits—black currants layered with acidity.