wine details
reviews
James Suckling 95-96/100This is the most powerful Phélan Segur I have ever tasted. A solid core of dense fruit and layered tannins that are so refined and polished. Remains fresh, energetic and bright. Yet, there’s plenty of harmony and balance.
Jancis Robinson 17/20
57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot. Harvested 24 September to 11 October. 49 hl/ha. TA 3.1 (expressed as sulphuric). Barrel sample. Deepest purple. Pure if slightly charry blackcurrant fruit. Dark-chocolate notes add another layer but not sweetness. Chewy, thick, dry but not tough tannins. Tongue-tied and not ready to be tasted, let alone drunk, for some time. Quite oaky. Chewy on the finish but there's plenty of compact fruit too – just all so dense that it is tied up on itself. More aromatic in the empty glass – the sweet black fruit and a hint of violets. Needs time to open in the glass just as it needs time in bottle. My score is based on the hope that it will eventually unfurl. (JH) 14% Drink 2028-2040
Parker 93-95
The 2018 Phélan Ségur is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Merlot, harvested from September 14 to October 4. The wine comes in at 14% alcohol, 3.8 pH and has an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 77. Deep purple-black in color, it springs from the glass with bright, vibrant notes of raspberry preserves, kirsch and ripe blackcurrants with hints of rose petals, tilled black soil, spice cake and warm plums plus a waft of star anise. Medium to full-bodied with a solid backbone of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, the palate sports a taut, muscular fruit profile with loads of bright red fruit sparks and a long, earthy finish.
Decanter 94/100
This is good quality in 2018, as it has consistently been over the past few vintages. It has a silky texture and is powerful but restrained, displaying the freshness and power of the clay that underpins the soils here and demonstrating just how good the Merlots were when they were picked at full ripeness but not more - here they were also given one week less than usual for the extraction. There's plenty of concentration here but it's hidden, latent, reserving its energy for the long haul. Harvest took place between 24 September and 11 October, with a good yield of 49hl/ha. 60% of the production went into the grand vin. 3.8pH. 77IPT.