MARQUIS DE CALON
2022 Saint Estèphe Château Calon Ségur
58% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. 30% new oak – will be matured for 17 months. 15% alc. 3.65 pH. Le Marquis often feels like a diminutive version of the Grand Vin, which of course, it is, but in 2022, it is far more serious and leans closer to its parent than ever before. Firm, controlled, detailed and dark, this is a super-elegant Saint-Estèphe, and in any other vintage, I could be mistaken for thinking that this was the principal wine from a famous estate. While this is highly encouraging, it also serves as a warning sign regarding the drinking window for this superb wine. I would advise that you don’t consider opening a bottle before 2030! And yes, it really is that good. Rating: 17.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)
* 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 blend is 58% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, a fairly usual blend for the second wine, including some young Cabernet Sauvignon fruit. It takes 43% of the crop. I find a nose of blackberries dusted with powdered chalk, with fragrant notes of violets, peach, tobacco and a touch of white pepper. The palate is really rather fresh, with a convincing middle filled with rich and grippy tannins, tightly knit together, with a plump overlay of perfumed fruit, leading to a dark and chalky tannin-laced finish. It has a touch of fat, perhaps some Merlot-driven grip in the finish, but on the whole this is a really nice second wine. The alcohol is 15%, as it seems to be across the range here. Rating: 90-92 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2023)
58% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Full, round and broad, the fruit juicy but structured and long. Merlot component excellent this year. Fairly harmonious with a bit of lift. Handles the alcohol well. (JL) 15% Drinking range: 2028 - 2040 Rating: 16.5 James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2023)
One of several over-performing second wines in this vintage is the 2022 Le Marquis de Calon-Ségur, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and seamless Saint-Estèphe redolent of minty berries, licorice and rose petals. Lively and penetrating, it punches above its weight. Rating: 91-93 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2023)
Violet reflections, dense fully ripe berries, tannins just the right side of constricting, with black berry, spiced plums, fresh almonds and smoked earth. 26hl/h yields. No pumping over here, and since 2021 they have been making greater use of fractions of press wine during blending. Hail impact brought yields down. 30% new oak Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 90 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Apr 2023)
The 2022 Le Marquis de Calon-Ségur, which contains 15% alcohol, represents 43% of this year's volume. There's copious red fruit on the nose, and redcurrant, wild strawberry and orange pith notes filter through with time. Shows impressive delineation considering the level of alcohol. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and a firm structure. A fine graphite element threads from start to finish with a detailed, very Saint-Estèphe ending. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 89-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2023)
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.