Chateau Phelan-Segur. Disappointing young Bordeaux with a query on TCA.

Chateau Phelan Segur

2022

Disappointing young Bordeaux with a question mark over TCA.

Promising, but absolutely not great.

€70 down to €40. Thought it was a steal and had to try it.

I’ve opened bottles before and thought they were corked, but this one really pushed it.

On opening, it’s wet cardboard and mustiness. Hard to ignore. There’s also an overwhelming vanilla note which feels completely out of place for Bordeaux. There is fruit underneath it but it’s seriously muted compared to other Saint Estephe wines I’ve had.

There’s a smokey edge wrapping around it but nothing you can actually pin down. Just a general burnt vibe. It’s one of the more pleasant parts of the nose. Fruit is enveloped in smoke.

Graphite and lead pencil are prominent and probably the cleanest part of the nose.

With air, the corked element backs off a bit but doesn’t disappear. The fruit comes through more. Definite cassis now and at times it’s bordering on prune which isn’t ideal this early.

Palate is super interesting.

Big, bold and tannic with a super short finish for this style. It just drops off.

Obvious cassis and dark cherry on entry. Shows up, makes a point, and disappears.

The tannin is in your face and not incredibly pleasant, but there’s an overwhelming sense of promise here. Short lived, but big.

Cedarwood makes an appearance and is there in abundance.

I can see pepper, liquorice and cocoa being present but nothing defined enough to pinpoint.

Very one dimensional but not necessarily in a good or bad way. The structure is doing a lot of heavy lifting for a wine that’s flavoursome but lacking clarity and depth.

Feels like there’s a proper wine underneath it. Just not fully showing itself.

I’m struggling between whether this is excellent young Bordeaux or there’s an element of TCA that’s throwing me.