2004 Rosé de Calon

Region: St. Estèphe, Bordeaux, France

Composition: Either 100% Cabernet Sauvignon or approximately 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, depending who you believe (I would tend to believe the latter)

Background: Château Calon-Ségur is in St. Estèphe, and just happens to be the northernmost Cru Classé (3ème Cru) in the Haut-Médoc region of Bordeaux. It sits at the heart of what used to be the Calon estate, an estate that once took up most of the St. Estèphe commune. In the early 1700s Nicolas-Alexandre, Marquis de Ségur, became owner of Calon (and Lafite and Latour and Mouton, for that matter) when his father died. He supposedly once said "I make wine at Lafite and Latour but my heart is at Calon" and because of that, the Calon-Ségur wines have a heart on the label (except for this rosé which has no heart for some reason; maybe they thought pink+heart=too much, or perhaps it got lesser treatment since it is a humble rosé and maybe a newcomer to the Calon-Ségur lineup).

The sprawling Calon estate has been chopped up into smaller parcels over time, spawning such other estates as Phelan-Ségur. Madame Denise Gasqueton now owns the existing 123 acres and makes about 20,000 cases of wine a year from the land. She took over in 1995 after her husband Philippe died (this is not a usual occurrence, from what I understand; most wives are unprepared or uninterested and sell instead of continuing the business), first surprising people with her determination and shrewd business sense, and then releasing a 1995 vintage that kicked ass and took names. She's continued to make a lot of solid wines that are not ridiculously priced like a lot of Left Bank wines.

Wines from St. Estèphe can be very intense, rough, and tannic due to the clay and granite soils and usually need a good amount of cellaring to come into their own, so this rosé is your chance to get a Calon-Ségur that you will be able to drink before the next decade!

Notes: This is a chameleon pink... it looks deep pink in the glass, from far away, almost strawberry, but when you tilt the glass it turns pale and becomes a much lighter dusky rose. The nose is forthcoming, offering cranberry and strawberry, and in the mouth it is very dry and full of steely strawberry, the steeliness something the nose hints at but doesn't let you know for sure. It's very intense, acidic, and dry, and a good example of what a rosé can (should) be. I think I want some more, and I can't wait to have it with our yellow cherry tomatoes, garlic, romano beans, and basil over some pasta because it is very hot and I can't bear to cook anything else.

The acid on this is high... I don't mind it on the palate but I have noticed that I feel certain high-acid wines in my chest (similar to the way you feel alcohol warming you, but it is not as pleasant) and I can't drink a lot of it all at once, or I have to be careful to temper it with food. This is one of those wines for me, which is sad because I would like to sit around and drink it all day.

Cost: $12

Overall: A-

Comments

[Kieca]

Claude,

Je suis très désolé mais je ne vends pas ce vin. Je l'ai acheté un magasin ici dans San Francisco, K&L (www.klwines.com). Je vous souhaite la chance en trouvant. Peut-être vous pourriez écrire à K&L et vous enquérir au sujet du vin là. Bonne chance!

Kieca

[BLANCHON]

J'aimerais me procurer 2 caisses de 12 rosé de Calon,année 2004 que j'ai gouté et apprécié chez "Laurent" avenue Gabriel à Paris.
Est-ce possible?
Mercide votre réponse.
Bien à vous
Claude Blanchon

[BLANCHON Claude]

J'ai bu ce vin chez "Laurent",avenue Gabriel à Paris et aimerais m'en procurer (millésime 2004).
Merci de me faire parvenir par e-mail les tarifs et la quantité possible (2caisses de 12 me conviendraient.
Bien à vous.
Cl. Blanchon

[Denise]

I thank you - no kidding - I am randomly searching for some "good" Pink/rose wines for an upcoming visit from my brother and girlfriend from Montreal who love the pink wine in the summer - I came across this and am so happy! I am just starting to appreciate all the things I don't know about "good" wine and will never turn back to just "whatever". Peace