Just ahead of the April barrel tastings for the 2022 vintage in Bordeaux, I visited Cha?teau Phe?lan Se?gur in St-Este?phe. The estate has been working since 2020 to ensure that only indigenous yeasts are used to ferment each parcel of vines harvested. The team reported promising results, as those yeasts have made the wine brighter.
Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for St-Este?phe selection of wines
Phe?lan Se?gur is one of many quality-minded cha?teaux from the northernmost of the Me?doc’s prestige appellations, which sometimes seems cast in the shade, partly because it does not have as many famous ‘brands’ as other regions, partly because it is the furthest drive away from Bordeaux city. But St-Este?phe is imbued with a sense of solidarity. I was told during my visit that the cha?teaux have agreed to work with special balloons that diffuse calcium chloride and sodium chloride in storm cells, which could limit conditions for hail formation. In June last year, hail ripped through vineyards in St-Este?phe, prompting this team effort.
