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"One of the great sleepers of the vintage"
1995 Calon-Ségur
It's rare that I get to offer Bordeaux at peak maturity for under the $150 mark. This is a recent release from the Chateau's cellar.
Calon-Ségur has an illustrious history that belies its modest price tag.
John Gilman notes in his thorough profile of Calon-Ségur "The estate bears the distinction of being the very first to be planted to vines in Ste. Estèphe in the middle ages." The Chateau has produced no shortage of epic, long-lived bottles over the centuries. Gilman describes tasting a 1928 that was in strikingly good form.
Thankfully, over the years, Calon-Ségur has altered the style enough that it's no longer so seriously structured that it requires decades-upon-decades of cellaring before one could even see it starting to come out of its shell.
Which brings us to the '95, which is starting to hit on all eight cylinders. The 1995 vintage in Bordeaux produced some richly powerful wines, some of which possessed raw tannins. As Parker's quote above makes clear, Calon-Ségur is a big success in the vintage and one that wasn't blatantly apparent in its youth.
Fast-forward 19 years and you find a fairly supple yet still structured wine that boasts layers of dark fruit, smoke, spice and a subtle vein of minerality. Most importantly, it shows the complexity that age brings to Bordeaux and a very appealing plush texture.
As the temperatures continue to drop and our minds turn toward big pieces of red meat and the heartier fare of cooler months, the '95 Calon-Ségur is exactly the sort of bottle I crave.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits