Over the years I have really enjoyed the wines of Chateau Phelan-Segur — one of Bordeaux’s great values for the price. Value might not be synonymous with many wines of the Medoc, but Phelan-Segur has the tendency to deliver regardless of vintage. Chateau Phelan-Segur has a long history, similar to many Bordeaux properties. The Irishman Bernard Phelan bought both Domaine Le Clos de Garamey in 1805 and Ségur de Cabarnac in 1810. Ironically while living in Ireland, Bernard Phelan was a neighbor and friend of Hugh Barton who started the famed Bordeaux estate, Chateau Leoville-Barton.
After Phelan’s passing in 1841 the estate combined to form Château Ségur de Garamey, which passed on to his son Frank Phelan, who served as mayor of Saint-Estephe for 30 years. From 1985 to the present, Chateau Phelan-Segur has been owned by the Gardinier Group of Xavier Gardinier, and famed enologist, Michel Rolland is employed as their consulting enologist, first starting in 2006. Veronique Dausse has been at the helm now for more than a decade. She has really improved the quality of the wines, having had many of the older wines from the ‘00s. The property has a gorgeous setting right on the Gironde river and welcomes guests to taste, with a great culinary experience as well.
Chateau Phélan-Ségur's wine tends to vary in terms of varietal percentages. Typically it is somewhere in the range of near equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (usually slightly more Cabernet Sauvignon) with a small portion of Cabernet Franc. The grapes are initially fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats and then aged in oak barriques (50% new) for 18 months prior to bottling. I have had the chance to revisit several of these wines recently from my personal collection and have found them to be showing beautifully. 2017 was a vintage that fell in between two goldilocks vintages, however I think that this is a much overlooked vintage. Tasting better than when I first tried the wine, the 2017 Phelan-Segur (OB, 94) is a dense and decadent wine that really needs about three hours in the decanter right now. Your patience will be rewarded! Learn more about this storied Bordeaux estate at https://www.phelansegur.com/en/ Here are my tasting notes from recent tastings of Chateau Phelan Segur.
2017 Chateau Phelan-Segur- Very heady and dense in the glass, the 2017 Phelan-Segur really needs a three hour decant if consumed now. Pencil lead and anise mingle well with creme de cassis notes on the nose. The palate is medium to full-bodied and loaded with tension, gravel soils and dense dark fruits. Texturally very beautiful now, and still quite primary, enjoy this beautiful wine over the next fifteen plus years to come. Drink 2024-2040- 94
2011 Chateau Phelan-Segur- Right at its sweet spot, the 2011 Phelan-Segur is a really good wine from a tough vintage. It is considerably more herbal now with medium-bodied cassis and black cherry flavors that mingle well with wet stones and shades of black licorice. This is a wine to consume now and over the next few years. Drink 2024-2031- 91