Château Calon Ségur

The history of Château Calon Ségur

Château Calon Ségur is a vineyard located in Saint-Estèphe in the Bordeaux region. The vineyard covers 94 hectares, 55 of which are farmed. It is one of the third Grand Cru Classé in the 1855 classification.

The Château Calon Ségur estate has belonged to a succession of owners since the 12th century.

The Albert family initially owned the château after the conquest of Guyenne.

In the 18th century, Marquis Nicolas Alexandre de Ségur acquired Château Calon Ségur. Château Calon Ségur was named after Marquis Nicolas Alexandre de Ségur, and “Calon” refers to the commune of Saint-Estèphe.

At the time, Marquis Nicolas Alexandre de Ségur was the owner of Château Lafite and Château Latour. For him, Château Calon Ségur was his heart. He made great wines at these other châteaux, but his heart was at Calon.

The symbol of these last words can be found on the labels of Château Calon Ségur wines: the symbolic heart of the château.

Nicolas Alexandre de Ségur, nicknamed the “Prince of Vines”, was one of the most influential men in Bordeaux. He even managed to seduce Versailles with his wines.

At Château Calon Ségur, a heart inscribed with the château’s name is engraved on the front of the winery. He died in 1755.

In the 19th century, the château passed through a succession of owners. Indeed, the Dumoulins were the first owners to succeed Marquis Nicolas Alexandre de Ségur. In 1824, the wine estate was taken over by the Firmin de Lestapis family. The latter achieved the feat of having their wines ranked third in the 1855 Grands Crus Classé classification.

Georges Capbern Gasqueton and his uncle Charles Hanappier bought Château Calon Ségur in 1894. As a result, Château Calon Ségur remained in the hands of the Capbern Gasqueton family throughout the 20th century.

In this family, it’s mainly Philippe Capbern Gasqueton who runs the château. He was also the owner of Château du Tertre.

From 1995 onwards, his wife Denise Capbern Gasqueton took over the reins of Château Calon Ségur until 2011.

Château Calon Ségur was owned by the family for many years.

In 2012, Château Calon Ségur will be sold to Suravenir, a subsidiary of the Crédit Mutuel Arkea group. Immediately following this purchase, in 2013, the Group began to invest heavily in the development of Château Calon Ségur.

Today, it’s Jean Pierre Denis, director of Château Calon Ségur, with Vincent Millet, operations manager, and Eric Boissenot, oenologist, at his side.

At Château Calon Ségur, some fifty people work to produce the famous Calon Ségur wine. Between the cellar team, the winemakers and the hosts and hostesses, these people come mainly from the Bordeaux region, but some also come from other countries.

In 2016, a new vat room was installed for harvesting, and the ageing cellars were renovated. In 2019, it was the turn of the Charterhouse and gardens to be renovated.

Château Calon Ségur vineyard

Château Calon Ségur’s unique terroir is composed of quaternary gravel with a clay subsoil. These soils, combined with the oceanic climate, give Château Calon Ségur wines their powerful finesse. The vineyard can reach an altitude of 13 meters, but the relief is clear. Thanks to this relief, the slopes encourage water flow.

After restoring the 2006 vineyard, Château Calon Ségur intends to increase planting density and give more space to Cabernet Sauvignon. The current planting density is 8,000 plants per hectare.

In order to preserve the diversity of our grape variety heritage, Château Calon Ségur wishes to carry out these replantings in compliance with the massal and clonal selection program.

In order to produce the very best wines, Château Calon Ségur staff ensure that the vineyard is perfectly maintained throughout the year. A great deal of work is carried out in winter, summer and spring, including disbudding, pruning, ploughing and leaf removal…

The grapes are harvested by hand at Château Calon Ségur. The grapes are first checked before being picked. Once the grapes have been picked, they are sorted a second time on a sorting table. The grapes are received by gravity to ensure that they are kept in the best possible condition.

Thanks to their extensive renovations, the winery can now accommodate 1,100 barrels.

The wine is then taken to the vat room, where 75 temperature-regulated stainless steel vats are used for 18 to 21 days’ vatting. The wine is aged for between 18 and 20 months.

The château produces around 80,000 bottles a year. The average age of the vines is 22 years.

The vineyards of Château Calon Ségur are deeply committed to the environment. In fact, the winegrowing estate has the opportunity to benefit from the presence of meadows and grassed paths.

Château Calon Ségur is also committed to optimizing water and energy resources. To achieve this, it decided to reduce inputs and improve waste management and recovery to protect the health of employees, local residents and consumers.

It is also committed to improving working conditions.

Château Calon Ségur also produces two other wines: Marquis de Calon Ségur, the château’s second wine, and C de Calon Ségur, Château Calon Ségur’s third wine.

Wine pairings and structures of Château Calon Ségur :

This Saint-Estèphe wine produced by Château Calon Ségur is a refined, charming wine with noble aromas and a silky texture.

This red wine has a ruby-red color, with aromas of red and black fruits on the nose. On the second nose, notes of vanilla and spices. Very good length on the palate, with fine tannins.

The grape varieties are 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

To enjoy this bottle of wine, we recommend pairing it with a plank of local charcuterie as an aperitif. Main courses include grilled and marinated meat skewers or lasagne.

The best vintages to remember for this château are: 2020, 2019, 2016, 2009, 1998, 1995 and 1988.

Interested in Saint-Estèphe wines? See also our wines for the following domains:

• Wine Château Cos d’Estournel
• Wine Château Montrose