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Château Haut-Segottes, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Bordeaux, France 2010 (750mL)
$42.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Château Haut-Segottes, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru


Danielle Meunier works the same modest farmstead her family has owned in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux since the early 1800’s. She has a bold and direct manner, and the philosophy behind her property is similarly straightforward. Château Haut-Segottes is essentially a one-woman show with winemaking done in the basement and all grapes grown in the “backyard.” Of course, this is no ordinary backyard—the property is within a designated Grand Cru and a mere 300 meters from its most famous estate, Château Cheval Blanc (MSRP $1,300 per bottle, mind you). This, Danielle’s only wine bottled under the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation, is predominantly Cabernet Franc, with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Fermentation occurs in steel tank, followed by 18 months in small oak barrels (20% new) and bottling without filtration. This simple, old school approach produces wines that are coarse in their youth, but blossom after a few years in the cellar. 

The 2010 Château Haut-Segottes Saint-Émilion Grand Cru is deep and opaque crimson in the center of the glass with translucent magenta at the rim. This 2010 is full-bodied with a gorgeously dense mid palate buttressed by assertive tannins and a long, echoing finish. Aromatically, Haut Segottes is always a chameleon: black currant and cedar one moment, pipe tobacco and black truffles the next, then wet stone and graphite—it’s always a wine that evolves dramatically and continuously until the bottle is empty. This vintage is no exception, but the aromas and palate textures seemed to be a touch more powerful this vintage--no surprise, given that 2010 is one of the great Bordeaux vintages in my lifetime. This is a truly cerebral wine and best enjoyed slowly over many hours, perhaps following a meal of simply prepared lamb or beef. Decant for one hour and serve in a large Bordeaux stem at 60 degrees.
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Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Sub-Region
FranceSaint-Émilion Grand Cru
Soil
Gravel and Clay
Blend
Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
20% New French

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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