Château Phélan Ségur, Saint-Estèphe, FR, 2022 (MAGNUM)

2022 Château Phélan Ségur

Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France

The 2022 Château Phélan Ségur is widely regarded as one of the finest wines in the estate's history. The blend of 56% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot delivers remarkable richness, freshness, and precision, showcasing the elegance possible in Saint-Estèphe during the exceptional 2022 vintage.

Professional Ratings

Tasting Profile

Aromatics

• Blackcurrant and cassis
• Blackberry
• Violet and spring flowers
• Graphite
• Tobacco leaf
• Crushed stone

Palate

• Full-bodied and layered
• Ripe dark fruit
• Chalky mineral character
• Fine-grained tannins
• Fresh acidity and exceptional balance
• Classic Saint-Estèphe structure with modern polish

Finish

• Long and persistent
• Graphite, spice, and dark fruit
• Elegant and age-worthy

Neal Martin called it one of the strongest Phélan Ségur vintages to date, praising its precision, energy, and mineral-driven character.

Sommelier Presentation Note

2022 Château Phélan Ségur, Saint-Estèphe
A standout Left Bank Bordeaux from the exceptional 2022 vintage, offering aromas of blackcurrant, cassis, graphite, tobacco, and violets. Richly textured yet remarkably refined, the palate layers dark fruit, mineral complexity, and polished tannins, culminating in a long, elegant finish.

James Suckling
Loads of fruit here. Energetic, with layers of tannins. Full-bodied. It builds at the end and opens like a butterfly. Hints of minerals and iron. Best ever? 56% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon, 2% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot.

Vinous Media
The 2022 Phélan Ségur was picked between 14 and 26 September, 9 out of 13 days with one plot immediately after another, using selected indigenous yeasts for around half the production. It was cropped at 28hL/ha with 14.2% alcohol at the moment, the pH is 3.8. This year contains higher Merlot (56%) due to its higher yield than Cabernet (frost and berry size). On June 20 at 8.15pm, three blocks were hit by hail that was horizontal accompanied by 25mm of rain within 10 minutes. This cost them 30% production overall. "We did less extraction at the end of the alcoholic fermentation and stopped the pumping over two days earlier at 1.010 [which without getting too technical is the Gravity of one liter of must relative to one liter of distilled water] and did more like an infusion." Aged in 55% new oak, it has an enticingly pure bouquet with blackberry and bilberry fruit, blackcurrant, iris flower and light iodine scents. Very intense and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins, a liberal sprinkling of freshly cracked black pepper laced over the black fruit. A quintessentially Saint-Estèphe with a structured and very persistent finish. Allowing the wine to open in the glass, it reveals impressive depth (more so than the 2019 and 2020) and precision. This will require several years in bottle, but it will certainly be worth the wait.

Jeb Dunnuck
I was lucky enough to be able to taste the 2022 Château Phélan Ségur on multiple occasions, and it always impressed, offering a deep purple hue as well as a ripe, powerful bouquet of darker currant and cassis-like fruits interwoven with leafy herbs, tobacco, and chocolate. A ripe, full-bodied, opulent wine, it has beautiful tannins, a layered, concentrated mouthfeel, and a great finish. It’s going to be as good, if not better, than the 2018 and 2019, and I continue to love what director Véronique Dausse accomplishes at this address.

Wine Spectator
Plush and warm in feel, this offers plum and blackberry compote notes flecked with chestnut and bay and underscored by warm stone and leather through the finish. Broad and slow-moving, but with clear definition, plus a nice muscular edge that hints at its buried power. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.