Chateau Phelan Segur 2018

JAMES SUCKLING: "Aromas of blackcurrants, spice and flowers follow through to a medium body with fine tannins and a delicious, savory finish. So lovely to drink now, but will improve nicely with age. Very refined and balanced. Try after 2022."

WEINWISSER: "Sattes Purpurrot. Dicht verwobenes Bouquet mit Wildkirsche, Palisandernoten und edler Cassiswürze, dahinter Holundergelee, dominikanischer Tabak und Schokopastillen. Am druckvollen Gaumen mit maskulinem Körper und spürbaren St.-Estèphe-Krallen, ganz leicht abgerundet. Im komplexen langanhaltenden Finale schwarze kleine Beeren, tiefschürfende Mineralik und dunkle Graphitnoten. Hat sich prächtig entwickelt und gehört in seiner Kategorie zu den Besten, kann noch zulegen!"

JEB DUNNUCK: "The flagship 2018 Château Phélan Ségur is a beauty based on 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Merlot. This was a great vintage for the Médoc, and the 2018 reveals a dense purple hue to go with powerful notes of blackcurrants, iron, smoked tobacco, chocolate, and earth. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, it has beautiful tannins, remarkable purity of fruit, and just does everything right. It has some up-front appeal today (no doubt due to the high Merlot content), yet it builds with time in the glass and shows more and more structure with air. It deserves 5-6 years of bottle age and will keep for 20-25. It's every bit as good as the 2016, if not better."

DECANTER: "Brilliant, succulent and luscious fruit. Blackberry, damson, chocolate and sage with a brilliant hold and muscular tannins. A yield of 48hl/ha. Drinking Window 2024 - 2042"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Let's start off by saying this is the best vintage of Phelan Segur ever produced. The wine is ripe, lush, supple and juicy. There is volume, length and character galore to all the layers of sweet, rich, ripe, black and red fruits. There is lift, complexity and staying power in the finish."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2018 Phélan Ségur is composed of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Merlot, weighing in at 14% alcohol, 3.8 pH and has an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 77. Deep purple-black in color, it leaps from the glass with vibrant notes of crushed blackberries, blackcurrant jelly and kirsch, plus suggestions of menthol, Ceylon tea, forest floor and lavender. The medium-bodied palate delivers elegance and impressive vivacity with finely grained tannins and a refreshing line supporting the intense red and black berry layers, finishing long and perfumed."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart tabakig unterlegte schwarze Kirschfrucht, Brombeerkonfit, kandierte Orangenzesten, feiner Schokoladeanklang. Saftig, straff, schwarze Beeren, feine Süße, gut strukturiert, mineralisch und anhaftend, sicheres Reifepotenzial."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Now on a roll, this estate is producing some fine wines. This latest release shows plenty of wood at this stage, but the bold black fruits are more than a match, giving the wine sumptuous richness. The wine needs time, so wait until 2026."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This is really well-built, with a core of dark currant and blackberry paste flavors supported by racy charcoal and bay notes while flashes of savory and singed sandalwood dot the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2035."