Château Calon Ségur 2010

Tasting characteristics and advice for Château Calon Ségur 2010

Tasting

Color

The color displays a deep, dense purple hue, revealing beautiful intensity.

Nose

The bouquet opens with aromas of black fruit (blackcurrant, plum), accompanied by notes of scorched earth, leather, and tobacco. With aeration, the nose gains in complexity and reveals nuances of undergrowth, licorice, incense, and graphite, along with herbal touches of bay leaf and sage. Floral notes of rose and woody scents of cedar and vanilla complete this rich, profound bouquet.

Palate

The attack reveals a wine of fine concentration, with silky, refined tannins despite their assertive presence. The palate shows remarkable balance between power and finesse, with perfectly calibrated acidity that brings structure and vibrancy. The black-fruit flavors, as well as the floral and mineral notes perceived on the nose, carry through on the palate, supported by fine, well-integrated tannins. The finish is long and persistent, with a saline, peppery touch, reflecting great freshness.

Food and wine pairings

This wine pairs ideally with grilled or roasted red meats, such as rib steak or a leg of lamb. It also accompanies beef bourguignon with elegance, game dishes such as venison or wild boar, as well as preparations featuring wild mushrooms. Aged hard cheeses also make a harmonious match.

Serving and cellaring

Château Calon Ségur 2010 will benefit from being decanted at least one to two hours before serving to fully reveal its aromatic complexity. It is recommended to serve it at a temperature between 16 and 18°C. This wine can be enjoyed now but will continue to evolve until around 2050, and even beyond for bottles kept in optimal conditions.

A powerful and refined Saint-Estèphe, the expression of a great Bordeaux vintage

The estate

Founded in 1824 and located in Saint-Estèphe (Gironde), Bordeaux, Château Calon Ségur extends over 94 hectares, including 55 hectares of vineyards on gravelly, rolling rises. A Third Growth (Grand Cru Classé) in the 1855 classification, it cultivates a unique identity inherited from the famous motto of the Marquis de Ségur, “mon cœur est à Calon,” still featured on the label. The current owner is Suravenir Assurances (Crédit Mutuel Arkéa), which has undertaken, since 2012, a technical transformation aimed at increased consistency in quality.

The vineyard

The vineyard of Château Calon Ségur benefits from an exceptional location at the extreme northern end of the Saint-Estèphe appellation. The 55 hectares of vines form a single, contiguous estate, entirely enclosed by a historic stone wall. The terroir rests on thick Quaternary gravels deposited by the Gironde, beneath which lies a substratum of clay and Tertiary limestone. This distinctive geological composition, combined with the proximity of the estuary that provides a moderating maritime influence, offers ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon to thrive and enables the production of long-aging wines that combine power and finesse.

The vintage

2010 stands among the greatest Bordeaux vintages of recent decades. The growing cycle benefited from exceptional weather conditions, marked by a combination of coolness and dryness. Summer temperatures remained moderate, while rainfall from March to August was very limited. These conditions favored slow, gradual ripening of the grapes, making it possible to reach optimal phenolic maturity while preserving fine freshness. Harvest took place between September 25 and October 14, yielding grapes of remarkable quality, concentrated and perfectly balanced.

Winemaking and aging

The grapes for Château Calon Ségur 2010 were hand-harvested and carefully sorted on a sorting table. Vinification took place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats, with maceration lasting 18 to 21 days, allowing for controlled extraction. Aging was carried out entirely in new French oak barrels for 18 to 20 months. The wine was then fined with egg whites according to the traditional method before bottling.

Grape varieties

Cabernet sauvignon (86%)
Merlot (12%)
Petit verdot (2%)