Château Phélan Ségur, a distinguished cru bourgeois exceptionnel situated in the northern Médoc appellation of Saint-Estèphe, is renowned for its gravelly terroir overlying clay and limestone. The 1997 vintage, while not a blockbuster, presented a season that rewarded meticulous vineyard management, yielding wines of charm and earlier accessibility. Phélan Ségur, with its significant proportion of Merlot alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, often exhibits a more approachable structure in its youth compared to some of its more austere neighbours, yet retains the characteristic St-Estèphe backbone. This particular bottling offers an insight into the estate's expression in a mid-weight vintage, now displaying the nuanced complexities of bottle age.
Tasting notes
The 1997 Château Phélan Ségur, at over two decades of age, presents an evolved aromatic profile of dried red fruits, cedar, tobacco leaf, and a hint of forest floor. On the palate, the tannins have softened considerably, offering a smooth texture with persistent flavours of redcurrant, plum, and a subtle earthy minerality. The finish is medium in length, clean, and reflective of a well-aged claret from a gentler vintage, now at its peak of maturity.