MARQUIS DE CALON
2018 Saint Estèphe Château Calon Ségur
53% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon. The proportion of Merlot in this is falling all the time as the estate completes a replanting programme that will increase the share of Cabernet to around 70% by 2030. They think that in three years they will have the blend they want for the Marquis but based on the 2018 there isn't a lot of room for further improvement! This is just a brilliant Marquis with all the qualities you look for in a second wine: pure, juicy dark fruit, a cool earthy undertow, beautifully judged tannins and a nice bite on the finish. I doubt you'll be able to resist drinking this young on its lovely fruit. Just a seriously smart claret that tugs at the heart-strings and one to order in magnum for dinner parties in five year's time. Drinking range: 2024 - 2035L&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 Marquis de Calon has a very perfumed, quite floral bouquet that demonstrates much more precision and focus than the preceding 2018 Capbern. It blossoms with copious blackberry and boysenberry scents, crushed violets and a touch of iris petal. The palate is medium-bodied with a ripe entry, taut and quite rigid tannins, and then... hold on... there is that nagging green streak that I remarked upon out of barrel. It prongs the finish, unmistakably, leaving a very bitter aftertaste that dissuades me from taking another sip. I just think there is a batch of fruit that should never have made it into this Deuxième Vin, which is a pity because otherwise it could have been a fine wine. (I left this bottle another 24 hours to monitor any improvement but the greenness was just as evident.) Drinking range: 2021 - 2027 Rating: 86 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
Plenty of blackcurrant and blackberry aromas with hints of black truffle and mushroom. It’s medium-bodied with an attractive core of cool fruit and a flavorful finish. Wet-earth undertone. Second wine of Calon Segur. Drink after 2025. Rating: 93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)
Another second wine from this brilliant vintage that tastes more like a grand vin, the 2018 Le Marquis de Calon Segur offers a full-bodied, ripe, incredibly sexy profile that carries terrific amounts of currants, plums, graphite, and leafy herb-like aromas and flavors. A blend of 53% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 30% new French oak, it’s a head turner that’s going to drink spectacularly well right out of the gate. Rating: 93-95 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)
Inky core with purple rim. Riper and initially sweeter on the nose than the Capbern. Juicy blackberry and cassis. Sweet and juicy on the palate too, with finesse that is all elegant tannins but the bright fruit lifts the structure to a long, fresh and cool finish. Mouth-watering and moreish. Clean, dry finish. Drinking range: 2024 - 2033 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
A fruity and pretty second wine with medium body, fine tannins and a juicy and earthy undertone. Rating: 91-92 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
The 2018 Le Marquis de Calon Ségur is a drop-dead gorgeous second wine from Calon Ségur. Bright, lifted and punchy, the 2018 has so much to offer. Expressive floral, savory and spiced notes from the Cabernet add shades of nuance to a core of dark red and purplish berry fruit. Beautifully textured and inviting, the Marquis is positively stunning in 2018. The blend is 53% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, mostly young vines planted between 2008 and 2012. It is a gorgeous second wine from Calon Ségur. Tasted four times. Rating: 91-93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2019)
The second wine includes only Merlot and young Cabernet fruit, as all the old-vine Cabernet went into the grand vin. Young, according to Vincent Millet, means up to eight to twelve years old. The blend is 53% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, the yield 41 hl/ha and the pH 3.65. Despite the focus here being on Merlot, the alcohol level is exactly the same as the grand vin, at 14.9%. It begins with a very expressive nose of nicely defined peppered plum, dusted with limestone and floral elements. The palate is pretty, fresh, quite elegant, taut and bright, especially considering the assemblage and alcohol, with rich grip but also a pretty frame. It has a lot of energy, regardless of is very polished style, is rich in velvety Merlot tannins, and there is bright acidity. Overall a substantial but fresh and elegant second wine, one which is certainly a success. The élevage will be 17 months in 30% new oak barrels. Rating: 92-94 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
Château Calon Ségur
St Estèphe Troisième cru 1855 Château Calon Ségur is the northernmost Grand Cru estate classified in 1855, sitting just north of the village of St Estèphe. It was once part, as the name suggests, of the vast holdings of the Ségur family, owners amongst others of Lafite and Latour. In the 18th Century, Nicolas-Alexandre Ségur is said to have remarked "I make my wine at Lafite and Latour but my heart is in Calon", and the label bears his heart to this day. In the early years of the 19th Century, the then owner Etienne Dumoulin became interested in an underdeveloped part of the estate, which was cleared and planted with vines. Such was the quality that the rump of Calon-Ségur was sold off, and Etienne's new estate went on to become Château Montrose. Calon-Ségur came into the hands of the Gasqueton family in 1894, and it is still owned by the family. A solid performer, especially recently, the Grand Vin is made with a relatively high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (as high as 90% in some vintages). The vineyards are 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc and the wines spend 18 months in wood. The second wine is Marquis de Calon.
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.