1989 Calon Segur

An underrated wine, the 1989 Calon-Ségur is drinking beautifully, unfurling to reveal aromas of cherries and dark berries mingled with notions of cigar box, loamy soil, black truffles and grilled meats. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and muscular, with a generous core of fruit, ripe tannins, low acidity and a long, lusty finish, it is another 1989 that's going from strength to strength as its structure softens with age.

The 1989 Calon-Ségur is a vintage that I have tasted regularly over the years. I tasted this wine on two separate occasions, firstly at the property in December 2018 and secondly at a dinner in London in July 2019. Strangely, the latter was a far superior bottle. At 30-years of age it sports thin bricking on the rim, not dissimilar the 1989 Cos d’Estournel. The bouquet on the ex-château bottle was surprisingly light and ferrous whereas the bottle in London bestows far more red fruit laced with iron filing and sandalwood. Observing its evolution in glass over 30 minutes it evolves satisying cohesion with irresistible sous-bois and more dried flower scents. The palate on both bottles is medium-bodied, though perversely felt more rustic, the tannins coarser on the ex-château bottle. The bottle in London was framed by my pliant tannins and certainly displayed more fruit with an array of gorgeous brambly red fruit, thyme and tobacco notes. And whereas the Bordeaux bottle attenuated towards the finish, this London bottle came across more generous and with grip. I scored the Bordeaux bottle in the high 80s, however the London bottle was an absolute joy amidst much grander vinous company and my score reflects this.

Mid-crimson with a slightly orange rim. The nose is much fresher than that of the 1990 and there is more acidity on the palate. For the moment this is less fun to drink than the exotic 1990 but it will certainly last longer and there is more to it. The tannins are still a little sandy but this wine seems much less obviously ripe than the 1990. (JR)