Château Phélan Ségur 2025

Incredible colour in the glass – vivid purple core with a bright pink rim. Smells inviting – creamy strawberry, freshly cut herbs and pink roses. Smooth and supple, excellent construction in the round and filling tannins with a gorgeous chewy aspect to them. Mouthwatering but also slightly sweet strawberry flavours make this so fruity and charming. Soft, sophisticated, refined but really welcoming. Powdery tannins with ripe fruit. This is such assured winemaking with precision and focus. Refined. Succulent, totally moreish. Not massively shouting, despite the texture it retains a cool aspect with a stony grip on the bottom. Lovely. A complete package. One of the best I’ve tasted from this estate. Yield of 29hl/ha. 3.73pH. 80IPT. 65% grand vin production. The first time the estate harvested more than 10ha in one day with the harvest last for eight days between 10-26 September. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

Espresso, black cherries, licorice, flowers, strawberry, menthol, and cedar aromas fill the perfume. Medium-bodied, fresh, creamy, sweet, and vibrant from start to finish. Just a year or two in the bottle and this will be quite charming in your glass. Drink from 2030-2052. 92-95 Pts

Damson colour, rich gourmet toasted style, this is great quality, plum, damson; black cherry, cocoa bean, hard to argue with. So much floral character, jumping out of the glass, flavourful and easy to recommend. Véronique Dausse is doing an excellent job at this estate, and once again it is showing at the very top of the appellation, holding up against the classified growths. Harvest September 10 to 26, 3.73 pH. 29 hl/ha yield, 55% new oak for ageing. Tasted twice.

The depth and attention to detail shown by the bouquet of Phélan Ségur say a great deal about its ambitions and potential. Everything is measured: nothing is left to chance and nothing is pushed to excess. Inviting notes of dark berries and cedar are joined by a touch of praline and mint, along with chocolatey and chalky accents. It is the most subtle nuances that flourish here, giving the bouquet a dimension rarely achieved. Smooth and slender on the attack, the wine gradually gains breadth and scale across the palate. Its tannins initially stay on guard, assessing the situation before revealing themselves and becoming the driving force behind the wine’s progression. Their calm and precision speak in their favor, even if one wouldn’t mind a bit more vigor—yet it arrives late, and that is precisely where this wine may surprise more than a few. This power is not limited to the tannins; the acidic structure also plays its part, as it harmonizes with the elements already in place. A beautifully accomplished Phélan Ségur that embodies the steadfast, passionate commitment of a team that truly loves it. The wine repays them in kind, and it is only fair.

Deep colour with purple highlights. Intense nose with ripe, silky fruit. Lots of black fruit when the glass is swirled. Delicate on the attack, flavourful through the mid-palate, the wine melts on the palate. The finish is long and juicy, with a slight tannic edge. Normal length. Blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Alcohol: 13.5%.

Time and again with an enchanting bouquet: wild berries, cherries, blackcurrant, blood orange, mint, topped with captivating florality; on the palate, great elegance, light on its feet yet very well structured, perfectly integrated, powdery tannins, racy acidity, delicate fruit that harmonizes with the structure, a Burgundy-like feel, full of finesse, and a very long, mineral-driven finish. This Phélan Ségur combines the power and structure of the 2022 with the charm and finesse of the 2023. Excellent once again.