Calon-Segur 2000

Tasted at Kettners in London just after the August riots, the millennial Calon-Segur is a great wine that has a 30-40 year lifespan. That bouquet is still so bloomin’ broody and takes a while to open, eventually and reluctantly offering crisp red-berried fruits interlaced with graphite and sous-bois. The palate is medium-bodied with a firm tannic structure and very good balanced with a fan of truffle and a touch of espresso towards the masculine finish. Nice grip and persistency here. Excellent. Tasted August 2011.

Back when my bottle reports came out in 2003, I urged extreme patience for this wine, which is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. I projected a maturity curve of 2012-2040, but based on this tasting, I would say the wine needs another 5-6 years, so call it 2016-2040+. One of the most unyielding wines in my tastings of the 2000s, the wine still has a very healthy, deep, dark ruby color, and earthy hints of herbs, licorice, and black currants. Medium to full-bodied, the hard, elevated tannins give this wine a certain austerity, but its outstanding weight, richness, and that very classic style argue for further discipline. Forget this for another 3-4 years and drink it over the following three decades.