It is getting quite hard to keep up with the pace of releases, but here is another St Estèphe that excelled in 2016: Ch Phélan Ségur St Estèphe 2016 released today at £390 per 12 IB.
The team agreed, on leaving this beautiful St Estèphe château, that this is one of the best examples of Ch Phélan Ségur in recent times. The charming Véronique Dausse oversees the Gardinier family’s estate with real verve and enthusiasm, and their 2016 is a testament to the hard work and dedication in the vineyard and cellar that have raised this unclassified estate to stand alongside the crus classés of the commune.
The 2016’s generous dose of Merlot (45%) lends the wine a juicy texture and crunchy red fruit, whilst the Cabernet Sauvignon (55%) supplies tannic backbone and savoury length. The resulting wine is fragrant and elegant, with dark cherry sweetness to the fruit intensity and excellent poise.
The 2016 clearly shows a pedigree well beyond its non-classified status. This is an excellent wine which comes highly recommended from a commune which performed exceptionally well in 2016.
Ch Phélan Ségur St Estèphe 2016
£390.00 per 6 bottles IB
£400.00 per 3 magnums IB
Thierry Gardinier, owner of Ch Phélan Ségur, has long been a close friend and it was a joy to taste this beautiful 2016 with him. Vibrant purple colour, with lovely floral aromas of violets and elderberries. A wine balancing its initial harmony with a degree of drive and black fruit intensity. The poise between sweetness and freshness is exemplary, showing a pedigree well beyond its non-classified status. Drink 2024-2035. 90-92 points, Goedhuis & Co
The 2016 Phelan-Segur has a really quite superb bouquet, quite Pauillac-like in style with graphite-infused black fruit, subtle tertiary notes and later, pressed flowers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is plenty of tobacco-infused black fruit here, crisp and focused with a lovely salinity on the finish that lingers in the mouth. This is a strong follow-up to the excellent 2015 and may even surpass it. This is a Saint-Estephe that is getting better and better. 92-94 points, Neal Martin
They finished picking here on 25th October, one of the latest ever harvests at Phélan. Feathery tannins and a fresh, ripe but crunchy aspect to the fruit gives a real sense of vivacity and grip. I love the dark pepper spice that clamps around the fruit on the second half of the palate. This is an excellent vintage for Phélan, for me better than both the 2015 and 2014. It’s full of life with silky, extremely pliable tannins (the IPT comes in at 89, but they reflect the signature of the vintage by being soft and lush) and a slow build up to a juicy frame that catches the fruit. 94 points, Jane Anson, Decanter
A super fragrant red with blackberry and blueberry aromas plus hints of blackcurrants. Full-bodied, powerful and structured. Tannic. Very long finish. A muscular and intense wine. 94-95 points, James Suckling
The 2016 Phélan Ségur is one of the best recent versions of this wine I can remember tasting. Inky, powerful and explosive, it boasts striking inner sweetness and density. The high percentage of Merlot in 2016 gives the wine its striking texture and racy feel. Smoke, crushed rocks, savory herbs, licorice and crème de cassis notes develop with time in the glass, but it is the wine’s voluptuous feel and palate intensity that are most remarkable today. I can’t wait to see how the 2016 ages. 91-94 points, Antonio Galloni
