“Love wine.” That is how I’ve always known Calon Segur. Every Valentine’s Da, I’ll see my parents, or maybe their friends, posting about this magical “love wine” on Instagram.
Turns out there is a lot more history to this“love wine.”
The name “Calon Segur” comes from two owners. The first owner, Monseigneur de Calon, who was an important bishop back in 1147. (Though some people say that “Calon” comes from “Calones” which was a name for transport vessels in the Gironde estuary.) And then, “Segur” from Nicolas Alexandre de Segur.
The famous “heart” on the label apparently also comes from Marquis Nicolas-Alexandre, who also owned Chateau Latour and Chateau Lafite and famously said — “I make wine at Lafite and Latour but my heart is at Calon Segur.”
I guess my parents were on to something when they referred to Calon Segur as love wine.
Today, the winery is owned by an insurance company after being sold for 170 million euros in 2012. The winery has since gone through a renovation, with stainless steel tanks, a new skylight-lit tasting room, and even vine replanting with more Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. And yet, according to reviewers, the winery is difficult to find as the previous owner did not like visitors.
Other changes I found interesting were that Calon Segur is now aged in newer oak barrels (90% new oak barrels rather than 50%) and for longer periods of time (up to 20 months, rather than 12 to 18 months). But given the tannins within the wine, most recommend leaving Calon Segur in bottle for 2 decades. The newest owners have also changed the style of the grapes, beginning in 2014 — “softer, lusher, riper, more forward and refined” rather than “masculine, sturdy, tannic, structured, and traditional.”
I’m looking forward to the newer vintages, given that I would describe the few tastes of Calon Segur I’ve had with the words - pungent, hay, manure, leather. Another Vivino reviewer captured my sentiment much more succinctly - “barnyard at the beginning.”
And until I start earning an income again, I’m excited to see if I can try the second and third labels — Marquis de Calon Segur, and Chapelle de Calon (or also sometimes, St. Estephe de Calon Segur).
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