Château Phélan Ségur, 2022
Château Phélan Ségur, 2022
- 75cl
- 14.2%
- Red Still
- Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
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Optimal drinking window: 2028 - 2055
Est. delivery in autumn, 2026
Château Phélan Ségur sits on some of Saint-Estèphe's finest gravelly ridges, producing wines that marry the commune's trademark structure with surprising elegance. This 2022 shows the estate's knack for taming Saint-Estèphe's sometimes austere character without losing its essential mineral backbone.
The blend leans on Cabernet Sauvignon for structure and Merlot for flesh, creating a wine that's built for the long haul but never feels severe. Give it a few years to integrate its tannins, and you'll find a wine that captures Saint-Estèphe's gravitas with genuine charm.
What the critics say:
"The 2022 Phélan Ségur comes from a growing season that was not straightforward due to the hail in June that cost 30% of production. This obliged the team to reconfigure the blend, as the first trials were found to be too rich and tannic. But the depleted yields produced an outstanding wine that will vie with the 2020 as a benchmark for the estate. The 2022 is actually quite understated on the nose with fine delineation of blackberry, bilberry, pencil lead and light forest floor scents. The palate is very well balanced with pliant tannins and a keen line of acidity, gently spiced with black truffle and subtle peppery notes toward the well-knit finish. This is an outstanding Saint-Estèphe that you would assume comes from a cooler growing season. Given market prices, this comes recommended."
"Elegant and well balanced, a ton of St Estéphe signature, this is really impressive, well controlled, with purity and depth to the cassis fruits, sweetened by cherry pie, flaky pastry, cinnammon, a welcome bitter finish of aniseed and cocoa beans that gives balance to the overall richness of the palate. There are big tannins but also clean wet stone minerality, and things stretch out through the palate, giving grip and no let up in intensity. 55% new oak, 3.8ph, 28hl/h yield. Blend finished in March, 28l/h yield. Selected native yeasts."
"Looking at the Grand Vin, the 2022 Château Phelan Segur checks in as 56% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that comes from a slightly different mix of their estate parcels and saw a shorter maceration followed by 18 months in 55% new French oak. Rocking aromatics of crème de cassis, spring flowers, spicy oak, and hints of smoky tobacco define the bouquet. It's full-bodied, pure, and elegant on the palate, with a seamless, layered mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and a great finish. This remarkably textured, balanced 2022 will keep for 20-25 years."
Phélan Ségur's vineyards occupy a prime gravelly ridge overlooking the Gironde estuary, with deep gravel beds over clay subsoil that provide excellent drainage while retaining enough moisture for the vines. The proximity to the estuary moderates temperatures and extends the growing season, crucial in Saint-Estèphe's cooler climate. This combination of warm gravel soils and maritime influence allows for slow, even ripening that builds concentration while preserving freshness and mineral precision.
Saint-Estèphe is the northernmost and coolest of the Médoc's great communes, producing wines known for their structure, longevity, and distinctive mineral character. The appellation's cooler climate and clay-rich soils traditionally favour Merlot over Cabernet Sauvignon, though the best gravelly sites can ripen Cabernet beautifully. Saint-Estèphe wines are often more austere in youth than their Pauillac or Saint-Julien neighbours, but they age magnificently and develop complex secondary flavours over decades.
The 2022 growing season in Bordeaux threw everything at the vines: a warm, dry spring that brought flowering forward, followed by scorching summer heat that had many producers genuinely worried about their fruit. By August, some vineyards were showing real stress, with leaf burn and shrivelling grapes becoming common sights across the Left Bank. The saving grace came in September when temperatures dropped and gentle rains arrived just when the vines needed them most, allowing the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon to finish properly whilst preserving freshness.
What emerged from this rollercoaster was a vintage of surprising quality, though yields were predictably low. The reds show concentrated fruit with ripe tannins that avoid the harsh edge that excessive heat can bring - that September reprieve really mattered. Merlot fared particularly well, ripening before the worst of the summer stress, whilst Cabernet Sauvignon varies more depending on terroir and how well individual estates managed the heat. We're finding the wines drink beautifully now with immediate charm, though the better examples will certainly reward patience over the next decade.
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Château Phélan Ségur
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