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Recent Vintages from Château Phélan-Ségur, October 2011
Château Phélan-Ségur
This update relates to wines tasted in October 2011.
For more on this estate, including all my relevant tasting notes, see my Phélan-Ségur profile.
The rain was beating down heavily as I ran back to my hire car. I was en route to Phélan-Ségur, but could not resist the urge to pull over in order to take a few photographs of the imposing château I had just passed on the outskirts of Pez, one of several little hamlets that encircle St Estèphe, like miniature moons around a planet. It seemed to me that the moment I had stepped out of my car the intensity of the rainfall had been turned up a notch, but now back inside my car it was obvious that what had once been little more than a grey drizzle was now bashing the windscreen with some ferocity. I checked my mirror and pulled away, the windscreen wipers doing little to improve visibility, and I now inched my way towards my destination.
A minute or two later I pulled into the gate at Château Phélan-Ségur, and picking up on the little signpost for the bureau I pointed my little hire car, its waspish engine buzzing away, in the requisite direction. Strangely this ran downhill, seemingly away from the château which was now coming into view on my left. Indeed, the road curved round in a huge arc some distance from the property, and it soon became apparent why. Some examples of architecture or sculpture are best viewed from a certain aspect, or from a certain distance. And here at the apex of the curve, looking up the grass slope, was the perfect spot with which to appreciate this very fine château. It all felt rather imperialistic; many millennia ago Ramesses II stamped his authority on his Egyptian empire by dotting it with dozens of giant statues of himself. This is your ruler, they said, I am here to stay. His skills at self-projection seem to have been very successful, as he reigned over Egypt for more than six decades, and was still worshipped as a god in the time of Cleopatra, many centuries later. I am not suggesting that the original builder of the château, Bernard Phélan, or indeed the current proprietor, Thierry Gardinier, have designs on conquering Egypt or subjugating the Hittites, but the first one certainly knew where to build his château, and the second obviously knows how to make the best of it.
Having eventually arrived I was greeted by managing director Véronique Dausse, and together we made a tour of the château and cellars before we began tasting. It might be tempting to think, if you have never visited Bordeaux, that all the grand estates - Latour, Lafite, Mouton and so on - have all the grand châteaux and all the little names - like Phélan-Ségur for instance - have something much more akin to a farmhouse. This is certainly not true, as the image above hopefully illustrates. Having said that, this château is perhaps not so imposing as it looks, as it also incorporates the cellars. Open the back door within any of the rooms and you suddenly find yourself not in an elegantly dressed drawing room, or a dining room bedecked with chandeliers and Queen Anne furniture, but in a tiled hall lined from one end to the other with several dozen stainless steel vats. It's an incongruous sight, somewhat akin to a nightmare in which you open door after door after door only to find behind these doors a brick wall, or a moonscape, or a jungle expanse. It just shouldn't be there.
Phelan-Ségur, 2000 - 2011
Having had a look around, including a tour of this year's must-have piece of winemaking equipment, the Delta Vistalys optical sorting machine, de rigueur for any classed growth or indeed any estate with classed growth aspirations, we returned into the front room of the château for the tasting. Kicking off with the 2000, this like one or two other wines of the vintage I have tasted in the past couple of months is showing a rather solid and reticent character right now; these wines need more time, it seems. The 2001 showed very well, testament to the quality of this vintage which was inevitably overshadowed by the millennial vintage. Moving on, the 2002 did display a leaner texture and slightly less ripe fruit, aspects which are not so obvious when these wines are tasted or drank in isolation, but line them up in a vertical such as this and it is much easier to spot. Especially if the next wine is the 2003, with its meaty texture, solid substance and lower acidity.
Both the 2004 and 2006 vintages showed well, although clearly they were eclipsed by that which sat between them, which is clearly panning out to be a great vintage for future drinking across much of Bordeaux, and I'm glad that I have more than a few bottles from the 2005 vintage tucked away. The 2007 displayed the weaknesses of the year, and I urge readers not to be swayed by the softened opinions of this vintage that might be appearing now that the wines are settling down in bottle. I have never understood why some sections of the wine community revel in talking up mediocre vintages such as 2007, usually while knocking vintages such as 2009 with the next breath, but they do seem to enjoy doing it!
Then came 2008, a decent wine from a good vintage which has been over-rated in some quarters I feel, followed by the handsome duo of 2009 and 2010. Having tasted many 2009s recently I was not surprised by the soft and velvety quality here, but I was really very taken with the 2010, as I have been with many wines from this vintage that I have tasted over the last few months. The time in barrel seems to be doing these wines no end of good, and although clearly of tip-top quality from the outset they are now beginning to display a much more classic, restrained harmony than I ever expected. I think I may end up preferring the 2010 vintage to 2009, although it is an issue of style rather than quality. The two are so easily confused.
We finished off with two barrel samples from 2011, on which I report below.
I have long been an admirer of several of the St Estèphe cru bourgeois estates, as for many years now a handful of them have been turning out wines of classed growth quality. Having tasted many vintages over the years it seems to me that Château Phelan-Ségur is one of those estates, and this tasting did nothing to dissuade me of this belief. Watch out in particular for the 2005, 2009 and 2010, obvious choices I suppose, but do not reject other vintages such as the 2008, 2006 or 2004 out of hand. There is both pleasure and value to be had here. (3/1/12)
Recent Vintages from Château Phélan-Ségur - Tasting Notes
Tasted in October 2011. I kick off my notes with a single vintage of
the second wine, Frank Phélan, before dealing with the unbottled samples from
2011 and 2010. Thereafter although I tasted the wines from bottle starting with
the oldest vintage and finishing with the youngest (and then returning to
retaste as required), I have presented my notes
with youngest vintage first, as is customary on Winedoctor. For more on this estate, including all my relevant
tasting notes, see my Phélan-Ségur profile. Click
to locate stockists.
Frank Phélan (St Estèphe) 2008: The second wine of Phélan-Ségur. A Merlot-dominated assemblage,
from dedicated plots, generally younger vines. There are some rather light red
fruits on the nose here. It seems rather lean and clean, fresh but with low
impact. Certainly light, with some vibrant acids on the palate which dominate.
There is rather more structure in the finish but always with that core of firm
acidity which doesn't bring a great sense of harmony to the wine overall. 14/20
Merlot barrel sample, 2011: Hardly finished fermenting, lightly yeasty, certainly perfumed though. A firm structure, alcohol in check, with yeasty-peachy fruit flavours more related to fermentation than any aspect of the wine. Interesting, clean, reasonably deep in terms of texture and character, but impossible to make any valid judgement at this stage.
Cabernet Sauvignon barrel, 2011: Really powerful kirsch aromas here, all cherry liqueur and peach, this latter element a yeasty freshly-fermented character reflecting this sample's youth. There is a lovely, supple style to it on the palate. Again, very interesting, and together the two samples promise an interesting primeurs week.
Château Phélan-Ségur (St Estèphe) 2010: The wine at Phélan-Ségur is
blended after the élevage, so this is a proposed assemblage which will
not be brought together until sometimes between February and April 2012. The
aromatics are dense and rich in liquorice-tinged fruit. There is a lovely polish
to it. On the palate there is a beautiful texture, rich, almost creamy, not up
there with 2009 in terms of voluptuousness but still with a superb texture and
integration, backed up by beautifully ripe tannins. This exceeds my
expectations, combining bright but dark-black fruits with a fine and savoury
length. A really well made wine here. 17/20
Château Phélan-Ségur (St Estèphe) 2009:
This wine has a glossy and dense appearance compared to some of the younger
vintages. The fruit is attractive, rounded and plump on the nose, clearly very
confident, with a fresh character, tinged with elements of red berries. The
palate is just beautiful, so supple and polished, yet with a fine although
deeply-buried grip and acid backbone. Yet despite this hidden structure it
remains lifted and fresh, with bright fruit character. This is a super effort
from this estate. 17/20
Château Phélan-Ségur (St Estèphe) 2008:
There is dark and liquorice-tinged fruit here, somewhat akin to that found on
the nose of the 2010. The palate is supple and well composed, and it slowly
builds into the midpalate showing structure, and then exits leaving a darker,
structured finish. This is more textured, supple and integrated than knowledge
of the vintage might suggest was likely. It has some really good potential as
all the structure is all there. It is not a blockbuster vintage buy any means,
but this is certainly worth consideration. 15.5/20
Château Phélan-Ségur (St Estèphe) 2007: Light, evolved, leafy, sous-bois
if you will, this is a vintage which seems to be marching on very confidently.
The fruit straddles the red-black spectrum though which I find mildly
surprising. There is also more density to it than first impressions suggest. The
palate is soft, plumply texture and accessible. The tannins give some backbone
but there are some really quite firm acids here in keeping with the character of
the vintage. Nevertheless, like many wines of this vintage recently tasted, more
attractive than expected, but one for acid lovers. A short finish in terms of
flavour, but there are still some youthful tannins here. But almost ready.
14.5/20
Château Phélan-Ségur (St Estèphe) 2006:
There is quite a firm and reticent nose here, only reluctantly opening up,
although it makes only a limited connection in terms of aroma, quite dense,
black and spicy. It seems firm on the palate, the tannins bringing a rather hard
backbone to the wine, and there are some wood elements too; these and that
tannic power may be related of course. This vintage has a harder style which
needs time to soften. There is potential here though, as although less elegant
than most other recent vintages the acidity is nicely integrated and there are
certainly signs that this is coming together on the palate. 15.5/20
Château Phélan-Ségur (St Estèphe) 2005:
This vintage seems very dense and withdrawn on the nose - and this seems quite
typical, as the majority of the 2005s I have tasted recently are showing in this
manner. But there is a reassuring tone to the fruit, not evolved but not
straightforward either, with tinges of complexity, and with a black-liquorice
density to it. The palate is very harmonious and well formed, with supple fruit
laid over a very fine-boned structure of acid and tannin, which seems in total
harmony with the wine. This has a super composition, with nothing out of place,
coming across as quite harmonious and compelling . As I return to it later it
seems even more and more aromatic. A brilliant effort. 17.5/20
Château Phélan-Ségur (St Estèphe) 2004:
This wine comes across as rather expressive and open, with notes of coffee and
sweet red fruits. I confess I find this combination very appealing in this
instance. The palate has a really delicately crafted balance; there is a very
thin seam of bright acidity which comes through very clearly, but it does not
override or detract from the wine. The other structural elements are quite
composed. Aromatically this is showing a little more secondary character and is
clearly more evolved than the younger vintages; this is attractive and is ready
to go very soon. 16/20
Château Phélan-Ségur (St Estèphe) 2003:
A darker hue here. Very ripe fruit character on the nose, losing fruit
definition, with a toffee edge to it that at this stage probably reflects fruit
character and the heat of the vintage more than anything else. There is a sweet
intensity to the fruit and little notes of coffee as well. This is not showing
such delicate, overt evolution as the 2001. The palate is soft but there is
structure underneath, with lots of tannins coming through the wine, with a
solid, chewy, firm consistency. There is acidity though, so this doesn't show
any sign of falling apart. The finish is slightly exotic, with that ripe fruit
density to it, and it is fairly long and tannin-infused. A wine which reflects
the vintage but in a more composed manner than some wines - the commune was
reputed to have done well, of course. Good. 16.5/20
Château Phélan-Ségur (St Estèphe) 2002:
It is surprising to me that this seems a little more dense and confident on the
nose than the 2001, although other elements, such as the lightly gamey edge to
the fruit, and the hints of greenness I find here, suggestive of green olive,
are less out of keeping with the vintage. It is also a touch leafy, smoky and
stemmy. It certainly reflects the vintage. A nice texture on the palate though,
although the acidity is immediately prominent, with gently polished fruit
underneath. It has a stony edge but not the greenness I thought I might see
based on the aromatics, more a lean-fruit character than anything. A crunchy
finish still, with puckering tannins. Very much a food wine rather than one for
hedonists. 14.5/20
Château Phélan-Ségur (St Estèphe) 2001:
Much more evolved on the nose than any of the other vintages tasted here, this
seems gentle, relaxed and welcoming. It has gentle scents of tea leaves and
black olives to offer up, all soft rather than challenging rather than anything
more tight. It is very appealing. There is a lovely substance on entry, vibrant
but not excessive acidity, quite lifting in fact, and there is tannin in the
background, and this would be super with food right now. There is also a little
stony, redcurrant fruit still. Overall a very attractive wine right now,
certainly approachable, nevertheless there is certainly still some structure
here so there is no rush; there is further development on the cards here. 16/20
Château Phélan-Ségur (St Estèphe) 2000:
This has a lovely iron and tea leaf character on the nose, this being an
expressive and softly maturing wine. It is slightly leathery, with hints of
undergrowth, so there is clearly some good secondary development here. Returning
to it later, it does continue to open up. It seems rather full and solid on the
palate at the start, with a slightly cool and detached character, although
having tasted other wines recently this is how the vintage seems to me at
present. The wines show as dense and still a little backward and clearly aren't
ready; although aromatically interesting when it comes to the palate
Phélan-Ségur is no exception. The acidity seems very coherent, giving lift and
brightness to the palate, the tannins firm and typical of the appellation, and
the overall composition is forceful and confident. A solid, fading finish. This
needs time yet but has super potential, although with a few hours of decanting
it may now be ready to go. 17/20
