Phélan Ségur 2020

Gorgeous perfumes of plums, berries, light chocolate and walnut follow through to a medium body, fine tannins and crunchy finish. Bright and fresh. Precise tannins. Drinkable but better after 2027.

The 2020 Phélan Ségur is rich and generous, unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet berries, cherries and plums mingled with hints of violets and spices and framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, it's a concentrated, structured wine underpinned by a chassis of generously extracted tannin that lends it a somewhat youthfully chunky profile.

The 2020 Phélan Ségur, which was picked 16 September to 1 October, and is the first vintage with four varieties in the blend i.e. Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot as well as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It fulfils the promise that it showed from barrel. Not quite as intense on the nose, yet it has retained that Pauillac-inspired allure thanks to those subtle pencil box and cedar scents infusing the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a cohesive, well-knit entry. Lovely texture, very pure, this is one of the most seductive Phélan that I can recall at this stage and I adored the classicism and graphite note that lingers on the aftertaste. Superb.

Displaying a medium to deep purple-black color, the 2020 Phélan Ségur offers up intense notions of crushed red and black currants, black raspberries and fresh mulberries, plus suggestions of charcuterie, pencil shavings and cinnamon toast. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled and refreshing, delivering a firm, grainy texture to support the crunchy red and black fruits, finishing with a peppery kick. 2024 - 2039

Delivering, as it so often does, richly textured, concentrated and powerful black fruits, a sterling example of the 2020 vintage in St Estèphe, turmeric, crayon and smoked earth notes, lime blossom and pomegranate adding texture and complexity, great stuff. Yields 40hl/ha, harvest September 16 through to October 1, finishing around 10 days earlier than the past two years. Consultants Michel Rolland and Julien Viaud. First vintage with Petit Verdot included in the main wine, from vines planted in 2013.

Full bottle 1,350 g. Cask sample taken 6 April. 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. A St-Estèphe property with a relatively low proportion of Cabernet.
Rather astringent at this point. I have been a fan of this property and the clays of this commune should have produced something quite special but I'm not convinced by this particular vintage. Stringy finish. No fun at all at this point! 13.7%
Drink 2028 – 2040

The 2020 is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Merlot, with equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot to make up the blend.

(54% CS, 42% M, 2% CF, 2% PV; 60% harvest; 13.5% ABV; 55% new)
Deep purple; fresh, mineral nose; full and crisp, a particularly vital impression; long and refined, and elegant to taste, with slightly dry wood tannins for the moment, but with the year’s classical proportions and finesse, and with very nice aromatic length. A most attractive freshness alongside the ripe red fruit character. 2026–36+.