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Producers
Alter Ego de Palmer Carillon d’Angelus Carruades de Lafite Château Angélus Château Ausone Château Belgrave Château Calon-Ségur Château Cantemerle Château Cantenac Brown Château Climens Château Clinet Château Cos Labory Château Cos d’Estournel Château Coutet Château de Camensac Château de Ferrand Château de Fieuzal Château d’Yquem Château Ducru Beaucaillou Château-Figeac Château Fleur Cardinale Château Fombrauge Château Giscours Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Château Gruaud-Larose Château Haut Bages Libéral Château Haut Batailley Château Haut-Brion Château Haut-Marbuzet Château Kirwan Château La Fleur Petrus Château Lagrange Château La Gurgue Château La Mission Haut Brion Château Lafite Rothschild Château Lanessan Château Langoa Barton Château Larrivet Haut Brion Château Latour Château La Tour Carnet Château Latour Martillac Château Léoville Las Cases Château Léoville Barton Château Léoville-Poyferré Château L'Evangile Château Les Grands Chênes Château Lynch-Bages Château Malescasse Château Margaux Château Marquis d’Alesme Château Maucaillou Château Monbousquet Château Montrose Château Mouton Rothschild Château Palmer Château Pape Clément Château Pavie Château Pédesclaux Château Pétrus Château Phélan Ségur Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Château Pontet-Canet Château Pouget Château Poujeaux Château Rauzan-Ségla Château Rieussec Château Sigalas-Rabaud Château Taillefer Château Talbot Cheval Blanc Echo Lynch Bages Le Petit Mouton Marquis de Calon Pagodes de Cos Petit Haut Lafitte Vieux Château Certan
Producers
Château Calon-Ségur
Château Calon-Ségur is a favourite among French wine buffs. Despite “only” being a third growth in the 1855 classification, Calon-Ségur is considered one of the best in Bordeaux wines, with many believing one of the best in the world. The wine ages extremely well, and from an investment point of view, offer steady returns to the French wine collector. This is an expensive wine; market value is currently averaging around €1,161 per bottle. Lower prices can be found for the 2013 vintage (approx. €814) while the exquisite 1982 vintage currently trades at over €2,324.
What is third growth?
Third growth does not mean third best. In 1855, when Napoleon III ordered that French wines were given classification, the government ranked them according to reputation and price. Other third growth wines include Kirwan (Margaux), Lagrange (St. Julien), Giscours (Margaux) and Lalagune (Haut-Medoc), making Calon-Ségur in good company! There are 14 third growth wines in total. There are just five first growth wines and eleven second growths.
A mysterious past
Château Calon-Ségur has traditionally been one of the more discreet vineyards in Bordeaux, to the point that road signs directing you to the property did not exist. There was no website. The owner was notorious in scheduling appointments with the press, only to cancel them at the last minute, or simply not show up. All that changed however in 2012 when a French insurance company acquired the vineyard and began a massive €20m renovation project. The wine’s secret past only added to the mystique, however, and vintages prior to 2012 are considered among the best. Buyers should note that production in the 1970s and 80s was compromised in quality, so wines from that era are not considered attractive when investing in French wine.

Today, the 55-hectare vineyard produces 80,000 bottles of the grand vin every year (20,000 cases) and is interesting as it is one of the very few walled vineyards in the left bank of Bordeaux.
The heart says it all
Characterised by the heart on the label, the property was once owned by Nicolas Alexandre, Marquis de Ségur, who also owned first growth Château Latour and Château Lafite (along with Mouton-Rothschild, Pontet-Canet, d’Armailhac and Montrose). “I make wine at Lafite and Latour” he says, “but my heart belongs to Calon”.
Notable facts and vintages
  • Best vintages pre-2012 include: 2010, 2009, 2005, 2003, 2000, 1990, 1982, 1953, 1949, 1947, 1945, 1929 and 1928.
  • Post-2012 wines are consistently being rated as commendable with 2016 being the most notable (particularly for its ageing potential). The new style (softer, lusher, riper, and more forward) is still being refined.
  • 2018 Calon Ségur record release prices were 20% higher than those of 2017 (both En Primeur), yet as of Q2 2019 those prices are still below the highly rated 2016 vintage. 2018’s EP scores were all in the high nineties and despite its release price hike, it is still considered (according to Decanter) a “no brainer” for investment.