Calon
was once part of the great Segur estate, which in the 18th century
also included Lafite, Latour and Mouton. It has more than five hundred years of
history, originating in the fiefdom of the Lords of Lesparre.
There
were many changes in the ownership, until in the early 18th century
when the celebrated Prince des Vignes, Nicolas-Alexandrie de Segur, acquired
the estate, following his marriage to a Gasq heiress. He made a famous quote ‘I
make my wine at Lafite and Latour but my heart is in Calon, which is a reason
why the heart motif appeared all around the estate and even on the label.
The
estate was passed to his nephew Alexandre de Segur-Calon, but was later sold to
Etienne Theodore Dumoulin in 1778, who bequeathed to his son Etienne Theodore.
Etienne was interested in a plot of land adjacent to the Gironde, and cleared
the heather and scrub to reveal suitable gravelly soils for vineyard, which
later developed into Montrose.
Beginning
to plant in 1815, the results were good and by 1820 the vineyards were expanded
and a chateau built. Etienne later sold the original vineyards of the family to
Firmin de Lestapis, becoming Calon-Segur we know today, while keeping the new
one, becoming the later Chateau Montrose.
The
Lestapis family did a good job and got the estate classified as a third growth
in the 1855 classification. However, the estate later fell into decline and
then was sold to the Gasqueton family. The new owners were Georges Gasqueton
and Charles Hanappier, but it was the Gasqueton family who was largely
responsible for revitalizing the property.
After
Georges’ death in 1962, the estate was passed to Edouard and his wife Elaine,
propelling the estate to a high ranking not only among St-Estephe but other
properties in Medoc. Edouard passed to his son Philippe who also acquired
Chateau du Tertre in Margaux, and upon his death in 1995, his widow Denise
Capbern-Gasqueton took over, selling du Tertre to Eric and Louise Albada
Jelgersma of Giscours.
Madame
Gasqueton introduced a stricter control on the parcels in the vineyards,
increasing density from 6500 to 8000 vines per ha. In 1999 new stainless steel
tanks were installed in the building as well. By 2006 Vincent Millet, the new
technical director, arrived from Chateau Margaux, and gradually increased the
proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon and new oak barrels, which continued to propel
the wines to a higher quality level.
Upon her
death the estate was assed to her daughter Helene, but because of diverse interest in the
family, the estate had to be sold despite Helene wanting to maintain, alas unable
to buy out others. The new buyer is Suravenir Assurances, an insurance company,
which appointed Laurent Dufau to be in charge, at a sum unprecedented.
The
estate lies to the northwest of the village of St-Estephe, with the vineyards
on the south of the chateau, southeast towards the village and east and northeast
towards the Gironde. The soil is brown clay mixed with gravel, with some areas
sandy over limestone.
Planted
with 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, with a small percentage of
Cabernet Franc, the wines spend typically 18 months in wood, about one-third of
them are new. The grand vin is Chateau Calon-Segur, averaging 20000 cases per
annum, and a second wine Marquis de Calon of about 3300 cases, which is more
Merlot based.
I have
recently tasted the 2003 vintage and below is my tasting note:
Appearance
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas showing ripe black fruit of blackcurrant,
brambles and blackberry, pungent spice of liquorice, oak notes of cedar and
smoke, kernel notes of cocoa, mineral notes of pencil lead and earth, herbal
notes of black tea, maturity notes of truffle. The wine is developing.
Palate
Dry with
medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture.
With medium alcohol and medium (+) body, it exhibits medium (+) intensity
flavors of black fruit such as blackberry and black cherry, pungent spice of
liquorice, oak notes of cedar, herbal notes of black tea. The wine has a medium
(+) finish.
Conclusion
Very
good quality St-Estephe, it has good complexity and lots of concentration on
the nose, plenty of potential to further age, good vibrancy and youthfulness. Just
starting to develop some maturity characters, it has good balance on fruit and
oak, only if the maturity aromas can be more apparent then it will be very
complex. Elegant and intense on palate too, it finishes with a fairly long
length. Ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another
5-7 years. 
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