Château Phélan Ségur 2023

Once again showing great elegance and remarkable depth; great complexity, pure fruit, floral notes, menthol, and citrus aromas; on the palate, incredibly crisp fruit, precise tannins, excellent balance, and great length. A Phélan Ségur full of finesse and tremendous energy, a true gem!

An excellent Phélan. Darkly fragrant, herbal and softly floral with blackcurrant, red cherry and coffee bean accents. Smooth and supple, gorgeous approachability in the juiciness and sense of life. So easy to enjoy this, cool and classic scents of blue fruits and crisp red fruit. Layered, clean and finessed. Svelte, not much muscle but there’s underlying power in the long finish with hints of mint. Extremely balanced and juicy, with a touch of sweetness and freshness and then the cleaning minerality comes through giving a powdery soft ending with elements of wet stone and graphite. Very St-Estephe and very successful. 52hl/ha yield. 60% grand vin, 40% second wine. Two thirds of the wine is vinified with indigenous yeasts to give more terroir identity. Longest harvest ever at the estate, beginning on September 18 until October 11. 1.5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Dark fruit with chocolate notes. Lovely texture and tannins, suave but firm at the same time. Wrapped in generous fruit and with a zesty freshness on the finish. Good length. Worth a punt if the price is right. (JL)

The 2023 Phélan Ségur is quite backward on the nose at first, less forthcoming than some of its peers. It eventually opens with blackberry, violet and crushed strawberry, still just a little confit-like in character. The palate is medium-bodied, with firm tannins on the entry. Good body and weight, plenty of fruit concentration but tightly wound on the finish. Afford this four or five years in bottle and you will be rewarded.

Black cherries, chocolate, licorice and floral aromas with a touch of spices fill the nose. Medium-bodied, but with richness, freshness, balance, and complexity. The wine finishes red fruits, along with refreshing notes of spearmint on the back end. This should be quite nice shortly after release. Drink from 2027-2045.

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections. Ripe cherries, plums, a light touch of blackberry confit, a hint of roasted aromas and fine oak. Taut, finely meshed, ripe cherries, vivid tannins, mineral, good persistence, will benefit from further ageing.

Standout quality, delivering squid ink, cocoa bean, espresso, fresh cut herbs, sculpted and impressively confident, with frame and architecture while remaining succulent, and appealing. Will be ready to drink within four or five years of bottling but go for decades. Harvest began here on September 18, with the Cabernets coming in early October, finishing on the 11th (longest harvest on record, 18 days picking over one month). Native yeasts for fermentation after an extensive programme combining many wild yeasts from their vineyard, under the direction of the team Luc Peyronnet and Stéphane Rougé. An exciting estate right now, Philippe Van de Vyvere owner, Veronique Dausse director. Really one to look out for. If you follow my notes I hate saying this, but truly believe this is the best Phélan Ségur that I have tasted En Primeur. 55% new oak for ageing.

The nose is fruity, full of charm, and offers a textured, airy character with fresh, balanced density. It reveals notes of pulpy/juicy blackberry and violet, and more subtly fresh/bright bigarreau cherry, combined with touches of camphor, cardamom, and toasted nuances, as well as a fine, almost Mediterranean hint in the fruit and a subtle saline note. The palate is pleasantly fresh, fruity, and balanced, offering minerality, tension, precision, a crystalline edge, a lovely linear profile, beautiful freshness, and length carried by freshness. It shows notes of pulpy/juicy cherry, crushed blackberry, and, more subtly, pulpy/juicy purple plum, joined by touches of racy minerality, flowers, a hint of fresh blond tobacco, a subtle sappy note, and a discreet hint of star anise. The tannins are sapid and fresh. A discreet touch of pleasant bitterness on the finish.

A slightly more pliant version of the AOC, with a gentle coating of warm cocoa and singed cedar over a core of mulled black currant and black cherry fruit. Keeps a suave feel throughout, with flashes of violet, chestnut and warm earth underscoring a structured but fine-grained finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2027 through 2038.