2014 Le Marquis de Calon, St-Estèphe

A rich, flamboyant wine, the 2014 Marquis de Calon Ségur is just as exotic from bottle as it was from barrel back in early 2015. A host of inky blue and purplish-hued stone fruit, lavender, spice, tobacco and leather are pushed forward. The wine is endowed with serious fruit intensity, but there is plenty of supporting tannin as well. A sleeper for the vintage, the 2014 Marquis de Calon Ségur has enough depth and pedigree to develop beautifully for years. (AG)

The Le Marquis de Calon-Ségur 2014 is a blend of 67% Merlot (now including young vines planted in front of the château by Vincent Millet and the late Mme. Gasqueton) and 33% Cabernet Sauvignon. Because of the high alcohol content of the Merlot vines, that average alcohol level comes in at 14.7%. Matured in 50% new oak, it has a rich, almost decadent bouquet with crème de cassis and blueberry jam, a touch of warmth coming from the alcohol. This is very heady within the context of the vintage. The palate is full-bodied, rich and powerful with layers of super-ripe Merlot fruit: fleshy in the mouth, almost ravishing with a very sweet finish that needs to find more precision and focus. It's a rare example of a blockbuster deuxième vin! (NM)