Chateau Calon Segur 2020

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2020 Château Calon Ségur is pure gold and another masterpiece from this estate. Harvested all in September and pulled from their 48 hectares of vines, the blend is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot that spent 20 months all in new French oak, and it hit 13.2% natural alcohol. My notes started and ended with "wow," and this riveting Saint-Estèphe offers a heavenly bouquet of red and black currants, truffly earth, iron, espresso, and tobacco leaf. With incredible purity of fruit, full-bodied richness, and ultra-fine tannins, it's a deep, pure, layered 2020 that deserves at least 7-8 years of bottle age and will cruise for 40-50 years in cold cellars. Hats off to the team at Calon Ségur."

DECANTER: "Very deep perfumed nose; the 1% Petit Verdot is quite potent and intense with ripe fruit aromas. Super-smooth and silky on the palate however, just so juicy and lovely with ample balance. A lovely energy and freshness comes across as both sharp and well defined – succulent but remaining intense and linear in terms of structure. The weight comes from plump, ripe fruit – the blackcurrant, black cherry and plum offset by a cooling minerality and wet stone, pencil lead minerality. It has richness for sure, the concentration is there, but also sleight of hand, so well executed and long. Really very impressive."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2020 Calon Segur has a deep garnet-purple color. It comes bounding out of the glass with crème de cassis, blueberry pie, and kirsch notes, followed by hints of garrigue, cedar chest, and forest floor. Full-bodied, the palate has a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and bright acidity supporting the generous, muscular fruit, finishing long with lots of minerally sparks."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Powerful, rich, deep, long, and packed with layers of dark, red, and black fruits, Asian spice, boysenberry, black currants, cedar, licorice, cocoa, tobacco leaf, lead pencil, and a refreshing hint of mint in the nose. The wine offers intensity, depth of flavor, power, ripe tannins, vibrance, blackberry, and a currant lingering finish with nuances of spice, chocolate, and creme de cassis on the back end. Give it a few years in the cellar, and enjoy it for up to 3 decades after that. Drink from 2026-2055."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2020 Calon-Ségur is a brilliant wine from an estate in the ascendant. Wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis, red berries, fresh mint, pencil shavings, violets and rose petals, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a vibrant core of fruit, powdery structuring tannins and a long, perfumed finish. Integrated and harmonious, this pure, concentrated and dynamic wine is one of the finest vintages that Vincent Millet and his team have produced to date."

WEINWISSER: "Bezauberndes Bouquet, frischer Schattenmorellensaft, Himbeergelee und Veilchenparfüm, dahinter Burley-Tabak und Milchschokonoten. Am saftigen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, nerviger Rasse, engmaschigem Tanninkorsett und athletischem Körper. Im konzentrierten Finale ein Korb mit roten Kirschen, hellem Edelholz und feinkörnigem Extrakt. Wiederholt sein Primeur-Ergebnis eindrucksvoll!"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This wine has a touch of spice to go with its powerful black currant flavors. It is concentrated, and the 78% Cabernet Sauvignon gives great structure and power. The wine has immense aging potential. Drink from 2028. "

JAMES SUCKLING: "Blueberries, blackberries, spearmint, currants and sweet spices on the nose. Mocha and walnuts, too. Lots of flavor here, with a medium to full body and muscular yet velvety tannins that melt seamlessly into the wine. Long, polished and delicious already. Keeps going. Better from 2025."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, opaker Kern, zarte Randaufhellung. Saftige schwarze Kirschen, zart nach Lakritze, schokoladiger Touch, feine Kräuterwürze ist unterlegt. Frisch strukturiert, rotbeeriger Touch, mineralisch, durchaus stramme Tannine, Kirschen im Abgang, mittlere Komplexität, bietet bereits einiges Trinkvergnügen, wird mit Reife an Struktur zulegen. (2028–2050)"

WINE SPECTATOR: "This is among the more backward wines of the vintage, showing a slightly burly mix of chestnut, warm paving stone, bay leaf and burnished leather notes amid a densely packed core of black currant and bitter plum reduction. Really riveted, with a warm cast iron spine and a mouthwatering savory edge driving the finish. Lovely character in this wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2026 through 2040."

JANCIS ROBINSON: JANCIS ROBINSON: Lovely fragrance, the oak providing subtle cedar and toasted notes. Palate juicy, dense and refreshing with plenty of drive, the tannins powerful but focused giving length and persistence. Long and very linear, the Cabernet Sauvignon clearly evident."