Château Haut-Segottes, Merlot "Clos Petit-Corbin" Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France 2021
Château Haut-Segottes, Merlot "Clos Petit-Corbin" Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France 2021
Château Haut-Segottes's second wine provides a supple, beguiling counterpoint to the flagship cuvée’s muscular classicism. Comprised entirely of Merlot — partly from a one-hectare plot in the dark-sand soils of Corbin, and partly from a hectare in Fortin — Clos Petit-Corbin displays the sheer elegance the variety can achieve in this appellation.
Florent and Danielle employ no new wood here, and a small portion of the wine remains in tank during the élévage, thereby further emphasizing its purity and drinkability.
What strikes the drinker about this wine is its sense of grace: this is not Merlot forced into some caricature of voluptuousness or gym-pumped into an awkward imitation of Cabernet; rather, it revels comfortably in its lip-smacking red-fruited prettiness. It’s the kind of wine that can only be produced here, and only by growers who are able to fully trust noble Merlot to be its truest self.
The estate practices organic farming methods.