The Structure and Elegance of an Alluring Saint-Estèphe Grand Cru
Recently purchased by Belgian entrepreneur Philippe Van de Vyvere, Château Phélan Ségur has become one of the legends of the Médoc, on the Left Bank of the Bordeaux region.
This Grand Cru Classé has endured a vintage of great challengers in the very famous Saint-Estèphe appellation. The estate oversees a rare 70-hectare vineyard with an exceptional terroir, planted on a superb ridge of clayey gravel overlooking the Gironde estuary, faithful to the saying "the greatest terroirs look to the water".
Spared by the episodes of frost at the end of April, the 2017 vintage has enjoyed favourable conditions and Château Phélan Ségur has earned again the reputation for the endurance of a great Saint-Estèphe.
Made of a blend that contains a higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%) than the last vintages, supplemented by Merlot (34%) and Cabernet Franc (1%), the Château Phélan Ségur 2017 displays the profile of a great Médoc with a classic style. Concentrated and highlighting the beautiful ripeness of the fruit, the aromatic palette seduces with intense notes of cassis and blackberry, which make way for subtle toast and undergrowth notes to appear when the wine is aerated. The attack in the mouth is vibrant, revealing brilliant fruit, while the tannic structure gives the wine a solid framework. A Saint-Estèphe with great power and character that promises a superb evolution.
The 2017 Phélan Ségur is medium to deep garnet-purple colored with pronounced cassis, black raspberries, kirsch and violets with notions of cedar, earth and cigars. The palate is medium-bodied and elegant with great intensity, fine-grained and firm, finishing long and perfumed.