2023 Phelan Segur
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Tasting notes
This is very concentrated and dense on the nose – plush, lush and round. Blackberry leaf, black cherry and plum mingle together, along with more leafy, herbal thyme and faint sage, as well as turned earth in background. With 13.5% alcohol, it’s a touch astringent, but the firm tannins provide structure, leading into a long finish. Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
A brilliant wine from this team, if not the best yet, the 2023 Château Phélan Ségur sports a deep purple hue as well as a gorgeous perfume of cassis and darker fruits intermixed with violets, spicy wood, graphite, and spice. Based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot and aged 18 months in 55% new French oak, it's medium to full-bodied and has a pure, graceful mouthfeel, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. It's well worth seeking out and worth every penny. Roughly 20,800 cases produced. Drink 2026-2040.
The 2023 Phélan Ségur is superb. Dark and expansive on the palate, the 2023 offers up a gorgeous mélange of black-toned fruit, gravel, incense, lavender, dried herbs and mocha. Rich yet light on its feet, the 2023 is pure seduction. Phélan Ségur is one of the great values in wine. Recent vintages have been especially fine. The 2023 is certainly no exception.
The 2023 Phélan Ségur is quite backward on the nose at first, less forthcoming than some of its peers. It eventually opens with blackberry, violet and crushed strawberry, still just a little confit-like in character. The palate is medium-bodied, with firm tannins on the entry. Good body and weight, plenty of fruit concentration but tightly wound on the finish. Afford this four or five years in bottle and you will be rewarded.
About the producer
With 70 hectares under vine, Ch. Phélan Ségur sits on the eastern side of Saint-Estèphe – neighbouring Montrose and Calon Ségur. Owned by Philippe van de Vyvere since 2017, its gravel soils produce typically firm wines.