Description
Château Haut-Segottes, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Danielle Meunier works the same modest farmstead her family has owned in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux since the early 1800’s. She has a bold and direct manner, and the philosophy behind her property is similarly straightforward. Château Haut-Segottes is essentially a one-woman show with winemaking done in the basement and all grapes grown in the “backyard.” Of course, this is no ordinary backyard—the property is within a designated Grand Cru and a mere 300 meters from its most famous estate, Château Cheval Blanc (MSRP $1,300 per bottle, mind you). This, Danielle’s only wine bottled under the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation, is predominantly Cabernet Franc, with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Fermentation occurs in steel tank, followed by 18 months in small oak barrels (20% new) and bottling without filtration. This simple, old school approach produces wines that are coarse in their youth, but blossom after a few years in the cellar.
The 2014 Château Haut-Segottes Saint-Émilion Grand Cru is garnet at the rim with an opaque crimson core. This vintage enjoys a touch more body than usual with layers of vivid blackberry, currant, and plum fruit. Aromatically, Haut Segottes is always a chameleon: currants and cedar one moment, pipe tobacco, violets and black truffles the next, then wet stone and graphite. We like this vintage’s less restrained expression of Danielle Meunier’s classic Saint Emilion and think it makes the wine especially enjoyable to drink at a younger age. Decant for 45 minutes and serve at 60 degrees in a large Bordeaux stem. And if you have some free time to prepare a perfect meal for this bottle, we recommend homemade lamb burgers made from a freshly ground shoulder cut. Dress them simply—perhaps with some aioli and a melted slice of your favorite aged cow’s milk cheese—and you will be transported to culinary heaven. Cheers!
