Château Calon Ségur 2010

On the rustic side, with strong bay and chestnut leaf notes and a peppery meatiness up front, followed by slightly chewy black currant and blackberry fruit flavors. Shows lots of charcoal on the dusty finish, while the leafy elements flicker in and out. Displays flesh and dense fruit, but lacks purity and may not be for everyone. The peppery note wins out in the end. Best from 2014 through 2028.

Lots of amazing savoury and mineral character keep this wine soaring at 15 years (when tasted). Forest aromas of bay leaf and fir tips complement dried berries, violets and herbs. The palate is an array of cool woodland fruits, turned soil and streaks of pencil lead, which lend complexity, elegance and an ongoing ageability that still offers plenty to come.

Pure fruit to this red with minerality and a floral undertone. You can smell the warm stones. Full-bodied, with beautiful depth of fruit and velvety tannins. Dense and balanced. Layered, with a light salty and meaty character as well. Great length. Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon. Try in 2017.

Blending 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot produced a tannic, rich, powerful wine that expresses earth, forest floor, tobacco, blackberry, cassis and spice. Fresh, tannic and balanced, give this 10-15 years to soften, open and develop.

Deep dark ruby, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening, very inviting bouquet, fine oak notes, sweet oriental spices, ripe black berry fruit underlay, a hint of caramel and honey, has everything in the bouquet that great wine needs. Complex, pronounced in fruit, juicy black forest berry fruit, vivid tannins, mineral and persistent, shows a very good length, a classic Vin de Garde.

86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot. 14% press wine. Yield halved due to hail. Deep purple-garnet. Warm Cabernet bouquet, summer truffle, dark woods and black olives, lots of depth. Rich astringency, great depth, black berries. More feminine than baroque, therefore atypical. Conveys the taste of a great, classic vintage. A Calon for eternity!

86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot. 14% press wine. Half a crop due to hail. Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with violet highlights at the rim. Warm Cabernet bouquet, summer truffle, dark woods and black olives, showing great depth. Rich astringency, again conveying significant depth, all in the black-fruit register. For once not as feminine as usual, but rather baroque. Thus atypical, yet conveying the taste of a great, legendary, classic vintage. A Calon – almost for eternity!

Elegant, classic, refined bouquet, cherries, subtle plum notes. Restrained, firm palate with fine-grained tannins, closed aromatics, well-defined core structure, long, dense finish. 18/20 drink - 2038

The Denise Gasqueton years, and this is very much old school and very much delicious. Bursting with dark chocolate, charcoal, pencil lead, campfire, cassis, bilberries, rose buds, bay leaf. This is pure Calon and you just want to pour yourself inside it. 100% new oak.

With a garnet hue, the nose is intense with a strong personality, very wild-rose. The palate is dense with a fine, straight substance—strict and long. Superb definition and linear purity of the sap.

The 2010 surprises with its freshness and, correspondingly, its floral notes. I find it rather strict on the palate. Naturally, the acidic structure dominates the wine, which bodes well for its future. In this vein, I recommend enjoying the 2009 or 2008 in the meantime!

The nose is elegant, racy and offers a certain intensity as well as a fine grain. It reveals notes of black cherry/morello cherry, boysenberry and, more lightly, fairly ripe strawberry, combined with touches of juicy/ripe plum and violet, as well as hints of racy minerality, cardamom, almond, a discreet touch of star anise and tobacco. The palate is fruity, beautifully juicy, very fresh and offers indulgence, a fine tangy framework, indulgence, a touch of tension, concentration, density and a fine fleshiness. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy raspberry, blueberry and, more slightly, blackcurrant, combined with touches of small red berries, violet, tobacco and nutmeg, as well as hints of racy minerality, a subtle touch of camphor, cubeb pepper, an imperceptible hint of humus and licorice pastille (in the background). The tannins are well managed. Good length.

Logo on the cork: CB Tasted blind, not decanted. Dark, intense, youthful color. Intense, refined, fruity nose, with an underlying hint of green bell pepper. Slender-bodied palate that starts smooth but becomes firm and slightly lively. This acidity relates to the lack of ripeness revealed by the touch of green bell pepper. For the record, Calon Ségur was hit by hail in 2010. I find bottle variation in this vintage.

This is an architectural wine, very classical in its structure like so many of the top wines of 2010. It's powered by ripe tannins and beautiful black currant fruits. While the wine is gorgeously ripe, it also has a powerful dark and structured character. For long-term aging.