Chateau Phelan Ségur Saint-Estephe 2022

Château Phélan Ségur is one of those wineries that serious Bordeaux collectors have known about for years while everyone else was too busy chasing the famous $$$$ names. Sitting on high gravel-and-clay slopes in Saint-Estèphe, their vineyards literally touch legendary neighbors like Château Montrose and Château Calon-Ségur. Heck, it seems like every other vintage their wines even outpoint their star-studded neighbors. Critics have been calling this place a hidden “super second” for decades – a special place that easily deserves formal Grand Cru Classé status but somehow never got the official nod. Their loss, but our gain.

What director Véronique Dausse has accomplished here is nothing short of remarkable. This is a winery famous for silky elegance over brute power, floral aromatics, and fine-grained tannins that make the wine dangerously approachable even young. Careful oak aging, gentle extraction, and an obsessive focus on preserving the natural freshness of the fruit. The result is a Saint-Estèphe that drinks like a dream now right out of the gates will absolutely reward patience in the cellar. Jeb Dunnuck has been one of their biggest advocates, and after tasting the 2022, it’s easy to understand why.