2016 Chateau Calon-Segur Saint-Estephe

They say, “home is where the heart is”. That’s how the Marquis de Ségur felt about Calon Ségur. He was considered one of the greatest winemakers in all of Europe in the 18th century. At that time, he was making wine at numerous Chateau including the Lafite and Latour. He lived at Calon, and is now remembered for making the statement:

“I make wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is at Calon”

These words have forever marked the history of the property. In the following century, the heart was engraved in the stonework of the chateau. And, later the heart made its way onto the wine label.

Chateau Calon de Segur is a legend. Since 1855, it has been recognized as one of the fourteen third great growths in Bordeaux. Calon-Segur is located in the northern part of Saint-Estephe, very close to the Gironde river and about five miles due north of Ch. Lafite Rothschild. The first records of Chateau Calon Segur date back to Gallo-Roman times. In fact, it is believed that this was one of the oldest Chateaux in all of Saint-Estèphe. After many years and a variety of owners, it finally became the property of the Marques de Segur, who also owned Chateau Lafite, Latour, and Mouton. The estate's logo comes from the famous phrase of the Marquess: "I make my wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is in Calon."

In 1894, Georges Gasqueton and his uncle Charles Hanappier bought the estate. They ran the property until 2012 and were responsible for some of the most legendary vintages to date: 1920, 1940, and 1950.

Madame Denise Gasqueton, along with her daughter Hélène, became the owner and leader after the death of her husband Philippe Gasqueton. They were the first to bring modernity to the estate and they renovated the winery and the vineyards.

In 2012 the property was acquired by the French insurance company Suravenir. Since this change of owners, the property begun a serious modernization process, especially in the wine and barrel cellar. Recently, in September 2020, the owners of Chateau Calon Segur (Suravenir Group) acquired Chateau Vray Croix de Gay, Pomerol, Chateau Siaurac, in the Lalande de Pomerol appellation and Chateau Le Prieure in St. Emilion from the owners of Latour.

Calon de Segur is a 136-acre estate with typical Bordeaux varieties planted: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, the vines are 25 years old on average, but they have some old vines between 45 and 60 years old. The terroir of Calon Ségur is unique in the Médoc. The soil is made up of a mixture of gravel, rocks, clay, sand, and limestone soils on the surface. Thanks to the combination of gravel and clay, the wines reflect a fine and elegant character with great power.

The wine consultant at Calon de Segur is rockstar Éric Boissenot. Eric consults at 40 of the 1855 Classified estates including Lafite, Margaux, Latour, Mouton Rothschild, Leoville Las Cases, and Ducru Beaucaillou.

Vinous Media awarded the 2016 vintage 98 points, saying: "The 2016s are absolutely remarkable wines...tremendous energy and bright, acid-driven profiles, with many wines playing more in the red-fruit area of the flavor spectrum".

Aging: 20 months in all new French oak.