2000 - Calon Segur, Saint-Estephe

Today, the powerful and brooding 2000 Calon-Ségur exudes Saint-Estèphe character in a style that marries classicism with exotic beauty. Dark-fleshed fruit, gravel, incense, tobacco, dried leaves and earthy notes open first in the beguiling bouquet. The 2000 is deep and layered in the glass, qualities that become even more prominent over time. Insistent tannins have finally softened, resulting in a wine that has arrived at its first plateau of maturity. The 2000 is an absolute joy to taste.

Tasted from an ex-château bottle at BI Wine & Spirits Calon-Segur dinner in London. The 2000 Calon Segur is one of those wines that reminds you how great the millennial vintage could be. Now at fifteen years old, it has a brilliant, vivacious red berry nose infused with ash and cigar box aromas. The detail here is a beguiling and it just "sings" Saint Estèphe. The palate is medium-bodied with dense, firm tannin that provide a rigid backbone, but it is swathed in copious tobacco-drenched black fruit and a superb line of acidity. It finishes with a twist of bitter cherry on the finish that completes what is a deeply impressive Calon-Ségur; it might just outclass the 2005. Tasted March 2015.