Calon Segur 1996

“My heart belongs to Calon”, said Château Calon Ségur’s eighteenth century owner, the Marquis de Ségur. Beating through the very fabric of this Saint-Estèphe estate, the heart is not only present on the label, but beats beneath the base of every sip. Planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (c.57%), Merlot (c.34%), Cabernet Franc (c.7%) and Petit Verdot (c.2%), the 74-hectar vineyard is supported by five-metre gravel, sand and clay beds that offer the perfect environment for the fruit to thrive. Fermented in enamel-lined steel vats for three weeks before maturing in 40% new oak barrels, Calon Ségur produces concentrated, weighty wines where the tannins of both the oak and grapes intermingle to form an intense flavour that is echoed through seemingly endless depth and length. This is a spectacular wine that has the fortunate ability to age many years after bottle.