Château Phélan Segur

In 1805, Bernard Phélan, a wine merchant who immigrated from Ireland, bought the two estates Clos de Garramey and Château Ségur in Saint-Estèphe and merged the properties into one large business. When Bernard Phélan died in 1841, his son Frank officially named the estate Phélan Ségur, in recognition of the historic name Ségur, which enjoyed great prestige in the region (due to the powerful wine aristocratic family of the same name).

Although Phélan Ségur was not categorised as a Grand Cru Classé in the 1855 classification (because it was still considered relatively young at the time), it was always one of the best estates in Saint-Estèphe.

In the 20^th century, the Gardinier family modernised the estate extensively and brought it up to a very high quality level.

In 2017, Philippe van de Vyvere, a Belgian entrepreneur, bought the château. Under his management, the 70-hectare estate now focuses on even greater precision, modernisation and sustainability.

Phélan Ségur is located in the immediate vicinity of châteaux such as Montrose and Calon-Ségur, not far from the Gironde estuary. The gravel soils provide perfect drainage, while the clay subsoil retains water and supplies the vines with moisture even in dry years.

The current grape variety mix consists of 58 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 39 % Merlot and 1.5 % each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

The first fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel and concrete tanks, the second Fermentation also, depending on the batch, in small French oak barrels in which the wines mature later for 14 to 18 months. New oak is used in 50 to 60 % of the barrels. The use of new oak is carefully adjusted so that the fruit is not masked. Overall, great importance is attached to precise extraction, freshness and an elegant tannin structure.

In addition to the Grand Vin, there is a second wine called Frank Phélan.