After returning from Bordeaux where we tasted 100’s of wines from First-Growths to unknown small growers, the price-to-quality in Bordeaux has never been so clear. While delicious wines abound at every price, there exist some absolute steals.
Case in point is today’s 2010 Marquis de Calon, second wine produced from historic third-growth, Château Calon-Ségur. Saint-Estèphe, Médoc’s northernmost commune, is renowned for Cos d’Estournel, Château Montrose and today’s producer, Calon-Ségur. Although Marquis de Ségur once owned Châteaux Lafite and Latour, he’s quoted as saying, I make wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is at Calon-Ségur. In Bordeaux, I heard a recurring theme from numerous world-class producers saying: the “second” wines of many great châteaux are now on par with what their top wines tasted like a few decades ago. Thanks to changes in vineyard practices and a resurgence of organic principles, second siblings reveal their finest quality to date. From the 2010 vintage, among the best of the last few decades, this doesn’t perform like a second wine and is far from a mere by-product of that celebrated vintage. Recently arriving on our shores direct from Bordeaux in the original wooden cases, the provenance could not be better. If you’re looking for high-quality Bordeaux but dread the price, purchase this by the case and enjoy it over the next decade.
Just north of Pauillac where the majority of the left bank’s first-growths are found, lies the commune of Saint-Estèphe. The northernmost commune of the Médoc, again there are three names from Saint-Estèphe that are among the most famous châteaux of the left bank: Cos d’Estournel (2nd Growth), Château Montrose (2nd Growth) and Calon-Ségur (3rd Growth). One of the oldest estates in the Médoc, Calon-Segur’s vineyards date to the 12th century. A true rarity, the enclosed wall around the celebrated estate holds 55 cultivated hectares that have remained intact for centuries. Back in the 18th century when the estate came under the ownership of Nicolas-Alexandre, the Marquis de Ségur, he also owned the revered and future first-growths Châteaux Latour and Lafite in Pauillac. The Gasqueton family took over ownership of the estate in 1894, which lasted until the current proprietor, Suravenir Assurances, purchased the company in 2012 following Madame Gasqueton's death. The new stewards have upheld the legacy of the estate with utmost seriousness and have even further invested in reinvigoration of the prized vineyards that was begun under Madame de Gasqueton.
The technical director of the vineyard, Vincent Millet, served at famed Château Margaux before the Gasquetons brought him on to execute their visions in the vineyards. He has continued on with the new owners and has enhanced the health of the vineyards as well as replaced an overabundance of Merlot vines with Cabernet Sauvignon. Fulfilling the old Bordeaux maxim that the best châteaux can see the river, the incredible terroir here is blessed with a deep layer of gravel, which was deposited by the river eons ago, over a bed of clay. This winning composition makes for signature power, finesse and inimitable provenance, which only the best sites in Bordeaux can lay claim to. The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon based with the ideal contribution of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The fruit is hand-harvested, sorted by vibration then hand-sorted, ensuring only the most pristine fruit makes it to the climate-controlled fermentation tanks where the grapes macerate for 18-21 days before fermentation. The wine is then aged for 17 months in only 30% new oak and is naturally fined with egg whites. The result is a classic left bank Bordeaux with an incredible legacy and pedigree that drinks at more than twice its price.
The 2010 Marquis de Calon displays a dark, near opaque crimson core with slight garnet and orange reflections on the rim. The highly perfumed nose exudes classic Bordeaux with clean aromatics of pristine ripe black plum, redcurrant and cassis, which is in perfect harmony with earth-driven notes of leather, red tobacco leaf, pencil lead, fresh violets and wet clay. Rich, round and immensely concentrated, the palate is medium-plus in body and reveals ripe flavors of black cherry, black plum and blackcurrant underpinned by complex leather, tar and pencil lead characteristics. The soft, elegant tannins and beautiful core of fruit from the sunshine of the 2010 vintage is perfectly balanced with ideal retained acidity and delivers a drinking experience far beyond what one would expect from a second wine of a great, classified château. Although this wine is beginning to drink beautifully now, it should hit its brilliant peak between 2018 and 2025 and last beyond if kept perfectly in a cool, dark cellar. There is no better accompaniment to this enchanting wine than a
classic Bordeaux Leg of Lamb pairing. With one bite, you will see why this marriage of flavors has stood the test of time.
