Bordeaux 2017 at Two Years: St Estèphe
When it comes to my schedule in Bordeaux, either for the primeurs or for my in-bottle tasting report, I used to consider myself an early riser and an early starter. It is one of the reasons I tend to eschew the party scene during the primeurs. I do make exceptions – I attended two soirées during the most recently attended primeurs in April 2019, one with Château Angélus and one with the Académie du Vin de Bordeaux – but on the whole I like to hit the sack early. While I can not deny this seems incredibly dull, my first appointment of the day is often at 8am, and I want both mind and palate sufficiently clear to form well-judged opinions and write tasting notes which will be, at the very least, comprehensive. Otherwise why bother coming to Bordeaux at all?
Sitting down at 8:30 am with Vincent Millet to taste his wines, those from Château Calon-Ségur and Château Capbern, I noticed he had the bottles open and ready to go. I enquired at what time he had opened them, thinking that he had probably pulled the corks ten minutes earlier. I was taken aback when he revealed he had wielded the tire bouchon at 7:15 am. It turns out Vincent is a true early riser, driving up from Bordeaux at 6 am each morning to beat the traffic, stepping down from his BMW in the grounds of the château before 7am every day. It is an indicator of his personality as well as his commitment to the estate where he has been technical director since 2006; Vincent is a driving force here, and it is to him that we should look if we are to understand why Château Calon-Ségur has been on the up in recent years (along with new owners bringing a fresh level of investment, building impressive new cellars, as well as continuing an extensive program of replanting, of course).
The Wines
On a fairly relaxed day of visits (more relaxed than during the primeurs, anyway) I began at 8:30 am at Château Calon-Ségur before heading straight to Château Montrose followed by a visit to Château Cos d’Estournel. Some other wines were tasted during these visits, notably Château Capbern and Château Tronquoy-Lalande, although the majority of the other wines reported on here were tasted at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting in London.
