Chateau Phelan Segur

Château Phélan Ségur is a wine estate in the Saint-Estèphe region of the Médoc, producing a wine of the same name. It was rated as Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in 2003, although this classification was later annulled due to legal wrangles. Regardless, Phélan Ségur is regarded as one of the finest estates omitted from the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. The grand vin is typically composed of 50 to 65 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder made up from Merlot.

In total there are 70 hectares (173 acres) of vines on the hillocks and plateaux of Saint-Estèphe; neighbors include châteaux Montrose and Calon Ségur. These are divided into in four sections on clay and gravel soils, and are planted to about 58 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 39 percent Merlot and 1.5 percent each for Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The grapes are harvested manually and are initially sorted using manual and vibrating sorting tables, before an advanced optical sorting machine makes the final selection. 39 different tanks allow the fermentation of fruit according to different vineyard parcels. The grand vin is aged for around 12 months in French oak barriques, with new wood never exceeding 50 percent.

The second wine, Frank Phélan, was created in 1986 and named after the son of the founder of the estate. It is sourced from a 15-hectare (37-acre) plot of older vines and young vines throughout the property. The line-up is completed by La Croix Bonis, a Merlot-led cuvee from selected plots intended for earlier drinking.

Phélan Ségur's history dates back to the late 18th Century, when Tipperary wine merchant Bernard O'Phelan arrived in Bordeaux. After marrying into the renowned Guestier family, he purchased the Saint-Estèphe properties Clos de Garramey and Ségur de Cabanac in 1805 and 1810, creating Château Ségur de Garramey, and built the Palladian chateau which remains there today. The property took on its current name at the start of the 20th century. Following a century of ownership by the Delon family of Léoville-Las-Cases fame, since 1985 Phélan-Ségur has been owned by Xavier Gardiner, who also owns the Lanson and Pommery Champagne houses.