Double Magnum Château Calon Ségur - Saint-Estèphe 1996 6b11bd6ba9341f0271941e7df664d056

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1999

The 1996 may not be as profound as I had predicted from cask, but it is an exceptional wine. Dark ruby-colored, with a complex nose of dried herbs, Asian spices, and black cherry jam intermixed with cassis, it possesses outstanding purity, and considerable tannin in the finish. This classic, medium to full-bodied, traditionally made wine improves dramatically with airing, suggesting it will have a very long life. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2028.

Wine Spectator

90 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/31/1999

Aromas of blackberry, currant, strawberry, tar and mint. Medium- to full-bodied, with a polished and caressing texture. Not as good as the great '95, but excellent. This chewy yet closed wine needs years to come around. Best after 2003

Wine Advocate

92-94 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/28/1998

The 1996 has gained weight, revealing even more flesh and depth than it did in spring, 1997. The wine is opaque ruby/purple-colored, full-bodied, ferociously tannic, and crammed with fruit and extract. Made in an uncompromising, traditional style, this wine will require a decade of patience. There is plenty of sweet fruit on the attack, and while the tannins are high, they are remarkably ripe with no evidence of astringency or vegetal characteristics. This appears to be a profound, classic, muscular, and powerful Calon-Segur that will age effortlessly for 30-40 years. Readers should remember that this estate possesses one of the greatest terroirs of Bordeaux, and produced a bevy of legendary wines in the twenties, late forties, and early fifties. Since then, it has been something of a hit or miss property, but under her administration, Madame Gasqueton has produced consistently outstanding wines. The 1996, a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, was made from extremely low yields of 35 hectoliters per hectare. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2035. Proprietor Madame Gasqueton (one of The Wine Advocate's heroines of 1997) has produced two unqualified back to back successes. Kudos to Calon-Segur, as both the 1995 and 1996 wines have a strong buy recommendation from me, but only for readers who have the patience to wait them out.

Wine Advocate

90-93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1997

A compliment is in order for Madame Gasqueton, the strict yet passionate widow who has taken over this estate since the death of her husband several years ago. It is no coincidence that the 1995 and 1996 Calon-Segurs are two of the finest wines this estate has made since 1982. Why? First, Madame Gasqueton introduced a stricter selection, producing more abundant quantities of the second wine, the Marquis de Calon. Secondly, improvements were made in the cellar, and the percentage of new oak casks was increased to 50%. Thirdly, approximately 20% of the production benefits from having malolactic fermentation occur in barrel rather than tank. And lastly, Calon-Segur is now bottled after 18 months in cask, a much needed departure from the former practice of aging the wine 24-30 months prior to bottling. The 1996, a 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot blend, made from very low yields of 35 hectoliters per hectare (just over 2 tons of fruit per acre), appears to be a dazzling, traditionally made, uncompromising, classic Bordeaux that will need 10-15 years of cellaring. Sixty percent of the crop made it into the final blend. The wine exhibits an opaque purple color, and copious quantities of sweet, floral-scented, black-cherry and cassis scents. Full-bodied, powerful, and tannic, the 1996 Calon-Segur should equal the quality of the 1995, but be less appealing in its youth. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2030.