Château Phélan Ségur - Saint-Estèphe 2021

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Owned by the Gardinier brothers (who also run Les Crayères in Reims and the Taillevent restaurants in Paris), Phélan was sold in 2018 to Philippe Van de Vyvere, a great lover of Bordeaux wines. This wine, which is in a way the first cousin of Calon-Ségur, is one of the most renowned in the region. Wonderfully located on the banks of the Garonne, it offers a very specific character, marked by notes of cedar and a good mid-palate suppleness. 2015 was one of the major successes in the appellation, while 2016 and 2018 show a racy tannin worthy of the best classified growths.

Decanter

About wine:

Aromas of roses, raspberries, and vanilla. Smooth and supple, with a lovely juicy core. The palate is precise and clear, with good use of oak and extraction. A pleasant and truly enjoyable glass of wine with bright red fruit, fine, silky tannins, and a long, mineral finish. It becomes a little more serious on the second tasting, with the tannins amplifying on the palate and gaining structure. This is a fine example and will age well. It has density and character. 2025-2049

Guide Hachette des vins

About wine:

This wine is aged for eighteen months and features Cabernet Sauvignon (75%). The nose, centered on spices and licorice, opens onto a supple, fresh palate, enlivened by a pleasant suppleness of flesh and fine, already melting tannins. More delicate than powerful, this medium-bodied Saint-Estèphe makes the most of this difficult vintage. 207-2032

About the estate:

Located on the plateau next to the village of Saint-Estèphe, this cru combines an impressive collection of neoclassical buildings with a prime terroir: 70 hectares of clayey gravel. It also boasts renowned owners. Bernard Phélan, who already owned Dom. de Garamey, bought land in 1810 from Joseph-Marie de Ségur, Count of Cabanac (who was only a namesake of the Ségur family of Lafite and Calon). Then, for a long time, the Delons, a reference in the Médoc, Xavier Gardinier from 1985 and finally Philippe Van de Vyvere since 2018.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

This beautiful, iconic Saint-Estèphe property, with its superb terroir on the banks of the Gironde, has had a new owner since January 2018. Belgian industrialist Philippe Van de Vyvere now has the task of writing the future chapters of what is undoubtedly one of the best unclassified growths in the Médoc. He has everything he needs to do so and is likely to continue along the path taken in recent years. Phélan Ségur produces a noble wine, not always demonstrative, but racy and aging well.

James Suckling

About wine:

Very refined, with a hint of minerality and chocolate, fine spices, blackcurrant, and a touch of iron and pencil shavings. The palate is juicy, medium-bodied to full-bodied, with symmetrical chalky tannins and concentrated fruit. More refined, layered, and long than it is compact or broad. The finesse and minerality are evident. Drink now or keep.

Le Point

About wine:

Favorite Red fruits, floral notes, dense and juicy on the palate, full-bodied, vibrant fruitiness, balanced aging, persistent.

Terre de Vins

About wine:

The intention is clear: Phélan is built to last! The young wine does not seduce immediately; everything is about striking a balance between density and aromatic expression. It may seem austere today, but with aeration, floral and blackcurrant aromas begin to emerge. Clean, rich, and sapid on the palate, with great length. Exceptional tannin quality.

Yves Beck

About wine:

Although apparent, the aging process plays its role as an aromatic carrier, emphasizing complexity! The bouquet reveals hints of black pepper, red berries, and licorice, while hints of graphite emerge with aeration. On the palate, the wine is caressing on the attack, but this does not prevent it from being powerful and compact. The tannins provide perfect support and breadth, while the acidity adds energy. The tannins are very fine-grained, but still need to round out a little. The wine has time ahead of it, while offering the advantage of accessibility in its youth. An inviting, pleasant, powerful, and charming Phélan Ségur.  2026-2046

Vert de Vin

About wine:

The nose is fruity, floral, slightly tight and offers a subtle power, intensity and a certain concentration. There are notes of pulpy cherry, fleshy redcurrants and, more subtly, pulpy/fresh blackcurrant combined with subtle hints of licorice (almost star anise), racy minerality and a subtle hint of fresh nutmeg. The palate is fruity and offers fleshiness, a lovely acidic structure, pulpiness, lovely minerality, tension, precision, a lovely fine richness, a fine crunchiness (giving dynamism, with the acidity) as well as good work on the (pleasant) bitter notes. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/tart red berries, crisp raspberry and, more subtly, lily and iris, combined with hints of crisp blackcurrant, delicate varietal notes, racy minerality, subtle hints of cola/zan and a very discreet hint of pepper (in the background). The tannins offer a little mellowness and a fine firmness at the same time. Generous in freshness and control. There is a very discreet hint of chocolate/tonka bean in the background/persistence.