CHÂTEAU CALON SÉGUR
2018 3ème Cru Classé Saint Estèphe
Cabernet Sauvignon 65% Merlot 17% Petit Verdot 15% Cabernet Franc 3%. Quite simply the outstanding wine from this high performing commune in 2018. It will be a record alcohol level for Calon Ségur but do not let that deter you for a second. Calon's clay and gravel soils have helped keep this in perfect balance. There is a lovely mix of pure, fresh red and black berry fruit - the Cabernet really singing, as it so often does at this great estate. Tannins are faultless and seamlessly interwoven with the fruit. It never loses altitude on the palate, there's mineral freshness, effortless flow, and a very, very long finish. This is an outstanding Calon Ségur and one of our wines of the vintage. Drinking range: 2030 - 2050L&S (Apr 2019)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2018 Calon-Ségur has a classic Saint-Estèphe nose. Rather obdurate at first, it takes time to coalesce, revealing black fruit, charcoal and warm gravel scents, well defined but distant and not predisposed to charm the imbiber. In a funny way, I quite like that stubbornness. The palate is well balanced with firm tannins and fine acidity. Maybe this feels a little pinched compared to recent vintages; it does not possess the amplitude of the 2016 and 2017 and it is rather serious on the brine-infused finish. This is a fine and very typical Calon-Ségur, though it is not the most finessed in recent years. Drinking range: 2023 - 2045 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
Aromas of redcurrants and plums with blueberries and black licorice, following through to a full body that’s so refined and polished, the tannins integrated wonderfully into the fruit. Fresh, linear and persistent. Real clarity and purity to this. Try after 2025. Rating: 97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)
Ripe, fresh and well-defined from start to finish, this lets cassis and dark plum notes race through, carried by a graphite edge and backed with dark tobacco, warm earth and chestnut accents on the finish. Has serious grip and drive. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 95 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Jan 2021)
In the running for the wine of the vintage in Saint-Estèphe (if not the whole Medoc), the 2018 Château Calon Ségur is a tentative blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot that will spend 20 months in new French oak. In comparison to the more backward Montrose and more classically styled Cos d’Estournel, this beauty is as sexy and opulent as Saint-Estèphe gets, revealing a saturated purple color, awesome notes of crème de cassis, crushed rocks, spicy oak, and cedar pencil, full body, remarkable purity, and sweet, mouth-coating tannins. Checking in at 14.9% natural alcohol, it’s a big wine, no doubt, yet is perfectly ripe (not overripe or underripe), has terrific purity of fruit and a seamless texture, all making for a singular, thrilling 2018. Rating: 97-100 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)
Darkest cherry colour. Lifted and fragrant, very Cabernet Franc on the nose. Both black and dark-red fruit, almost raspberry, but pencil shavings too. Super-fine tannins, so silky already, so fluent, though there is clearly a density and concentration here in the texture as it builds in the mouth. Lovely dry texture on the finish, dark-fruited but full of life – I would not have thought this had so much new oak as it is swallowed by the fruit. Drinking range: 2028 - 2040 Rating: 18 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
The 2018 Calon-Ségur is blended of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot (14.9% alcohol). It is anticipated to age for 20 months in barriques, 100% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs just a little coaxing before it reveals seductive notes of baked cherries, warm cassis, licorice and smoked meats with nuances of hoisin, camphor, Chinese five spice and dried roses with a waft of cardamom. Full-bodied and completely packed with concentrated black fruit and spice layers, it has a firm frame of grainy tannins and a wicked backbone of freshness giving an energetic lift to the very long finish. There's lots of brightness coming from the Cabernet Franc component in here, but it is nonetheless a decadent expression. Rating: 96-98 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)
The quality of the tannins is most notable here; they are present, but totally integrated and folded into the wine. Medium-to full-bodied with lovely savory fruit and a persistent and long finish. Very harmonious and fine. Yet, with air, it takes off with tannin power. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
An impressive, concentrated and powerful Calon that will win many admirers without a doubt, but I would be a little hesitant if you're a fan of the more classic balance found in the 2016. It has gorgeous chocolate and rich coffee notes, with complex exotic spices and even salted caramel on the finish, along with a lovely mouthwatering quality helped by a relatively low pH of 3.75 and a good yield of 41hl/ha. This will need long ageing, probably 20 months. I tasted it on several occasions and there are no arguments that it's a stunning wine but I would probably favour the 2016 if looking to cellar something, because it's more in character for what is one of my favourite properties in the appellation. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 100% new oak. Drinking range: 2028 - 2042 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2019)
A stratospheric, regal wine, Calon Ségur embodies all the best qualities of the vintage. Rich to the point of being exotically ripe, 2018 reminds me of the 2014 in its composition, but with more of everything. On the palate, the 2018 is towering and statuesque, with soaring structure and tremendous overall intensity. Striking aromatic top notes and bright saline underpinnings give the 2018 its energy, tension and nuance. As in 2014, the entirety of the château's Cabernet Franc went into the Grand Vin. Inky, powerful and explosive, Calon Ségur is a headspinning wine. Don't miss it! Rating: 96-99 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2019)
The grand vin is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, all from old vines, picked between September 26th and October 5th, with 17% Merlot, picked from September 19th to the 25th, 15% Cabernet Franc picked alongside the Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Petit Verdot, picked October 8th. The yield was 41 hl/ha, good for the vintage, while the pH is 3.75. Perhaps the most remarkable piece of technical data here is the alcohol, which comes in at a striking 14.9%, one of the highest (if not the top) on the left bank. This has a tighter and more defined nose than the second wine, the character of the Cabernet coming through, with notes of crushed blackcurrant, damsons and toasted juniper berry, all in a very precise style. This precision and tightly defined substance also come across on the palate, with bright flavours of grilled blackcurrants, damsons and juniper berry with a light touch of currant. It feels balanced and energetic, with a band of tightly grained and rich tannins, and a fresh acid-driven energy. A substantial yet precisely formed wine, with a long and gripped finish. Great potential here. The élevage will be 20 months in 100% new oak barrels. Rating: 96-98 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
This velvet-textured wine may be rich and high in alcohol at 15%, but is well balanced by bright fruitiness and fine acidity. The smooth texture hides the tannins which are formidable and will keep the wine aging for many years. Rating: 96 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast www.winemag.com (Apr 2019)
Château Calon Ségur
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.