Wine: Chateau Phelan-Segur 2020 Saint-Estephe
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Designation: AOC Saint-Estephe
Producer: Chateau Phelan-Segur
Grape Varietal: 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
ABV:
Type: Red
Code: 6869

Tasting Note
Its vivid purple color is followed by a gorgeous bouquet of pure cassis and black raspberry fruits, intertwined with complex floral, spice, and intriguing stone-like minerality. Medium to full-bodied and flawlessly balanced, with silky tannins (from 18 months in new French oak), it's an incredibly classy, seamless, elegant 2020 that shows the ripe yet classic style of this incredible vintage.

Producer
In 1805, Daniel Phelan, an Irish wine broker, acquired le Clos de Garamey, located in Saint-Estephe. This acquisition was followed in 1810 by the acquisition of the Segur de Cabanac estate. He thus created a magnificent wine-producing domain that remains practically unchanged today.
When he died in 1841, Bernard Phelan left this vast estate, known from then on under the combined name of Chateau Segur de Garamey, to his son Frank. Frank devoted his life to promoting the renown and improving the quality of the wines produced on his property. In addition, he became the mayor of Saint-Estephe, holding the post for thirty years.
Since 1985, Xavier Gardinier has been running the vineyard with the help of his sons Thierry, Stephane and Laurent. The buildings have been totally renovated to express the spirit of their founders and house winemaking equipment enables the terroir to express itself in all its complexity. However, despite the undeniable attraction of the buildings' design and the high-tech nature of the equipment therein, they are only the necessary backdrop to the remarkable alchemy that produces each year's vintage.

Winemaking
The grapes are picked by hand and transported to the manual and vibrating sorting tables in small crates. Since 2011, the final selection has been made by optical sorting. The crushing that follows is gentle. Fermentation takes place over ten days or so, marked out by regular pumping-over, to encourage the phenolic compounds to pass into the wine. Then comes the critical phase of maceration for around twenty days, to continue the extraction process. The wine is tasted every day to determine the optimum date for running it off the skins. After pressing and separation of the free-run and press wines, they go into barrel to begin the malolactic fermentation in the warm atmosphere of the cellars. The wines become supple and rounder as they rest through the winter.

The long process of blending begins at the end of winter and involves rigorous tasting of each batch. It is at this stage that the selection is made, with the invaluable help of consultant oenologist Michel Rolland

Fun Fact
A Dual Heritage: The name Phélan Ségur reflects its two founding estates. The Phélan family name is Irish, while Ségur refers to the local name associated with the vineyard. The combination of these two origins makes the château's history unique in Bordeaux.

Winemaker Notes
The 2020 Chateau Phelan Segur has an expressive nose of remarkable freshness that serves as an invitation to plunge into a "multicolored and polyphonic" world of fruit and flowers. Everything is in balance, with a precise and finely sculpted sculpture. Subtly fleshy, it is dense and its tannins finely woven. Its power, its length give it a radiant energy and arouse astonishing emotions.

Awards & Accolades
Vivino            4.1

96 points     James Suckling
Complex and subtle aromas of blackcurrants, hazelnut, bark, mushrooms and chocolate follow through to a full body, with racy and long tannins that run the length of the wine. Classically structured. Polished yet musical. Very Phelan.

95 points    Wine Enthusiast
Firm tannins, very much in the traditional style of Saint-Estèphe, give this wine an intense, concentrated structure. To balance this and in the new more open style from this estate, the wine also has fine fruits—black currants layered with acidity.

94 points    Decanter
Clean and compelling, quite richly textured with bright black fruits but also savoury touches. This is brooding and you can feel the power and the concentration of the vintage. Ripe tannins remain prominent with spiced edges giving tension and linearity throughout. Forward, intense but detailed, nuanced and seductive. Feels well worked, salty and tangy. Give it time but this will have fans. So sleek and well controlled with bite. Lovely.

93 points    Wine Advocate
The 2020 Phélan Ségur is rich and generous, unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet berries, cherries and plums mingled with hints of violets and spices and framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, it's a concentrated, structured wine underpinned by a chassis of generously extracted tannin that lends it a somewhat youthfully chunky profile.

93 points    Wine Spectator
A sleek, taut, winey style, with a mix of red and black currant coulis notes that stretch out over hints of charcoal, tobacco and wet stone. Shows a sanguine echo through the finish, with nice range and character overall. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024.