Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Calon-S?gur features warm plums, cassis, baked cherries and mulberries, earth, meats and cedar on the nose with notes of lavender and olives. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant and intense with firm, fine-grained tannins and great length, finishing minerally. This wine was aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 20 months. The blend is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.- Lisa Perrotti-Brown (03/2020)
The 2017 Calon-S?gur was cropped at 43.5hl/ha and underwent a 20-day cuvaison after which it is matured entirely in new oak for 20 months. It contains 13.2? alcohol. At the moment the aromatics convey the 100% new oak but there is sufficient fruit underneath. There is a palpable sense of "coolness" imbuing the aromatics and like other Saint-Est?phe barrel samples, it conveys a subtle estuary-like tincture. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannin, beautifully integrated new oak that lends this a silky texture. Perhaps this is the smoothest of all the 2017s I encountered within this appellation, a classy and sophisticated Calon-S?gur in the making and heightened by the thrilling tension towards the finish and the latent energy that lingers in the mouth. Excellent.- Neal Martin (05/2018)