The Northernmost Third Growth in Saint-Estèphe — 170 Years Without Division or a Change of Name

First Growths Lafite Rothschild and Latour — readers who have followed their names through the earlier chapters of this series will remember the tower on the label and the anecdotes of the court. But these two First Growth châteaux share one more thing in common. In the eighteenth century, a single nobleman owned both of them at the same time. His name was Marquis Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur.

In fact, Lafite and Latour were not the only estates the Marquis held. He also owned, at the same time, the Mouton estate, which would later be classified a Second Growth. Two future First Growths and the future Second Growth Mouton — despite holding three estates that would rank among the "higher" growths, the Marquis's heart, it is said, belonged to none of them, but to a Third Growth château on a hill in Saint-Estèphe. That hill is home to Château Calon-Ségur, which has kept its name for more than 170 years since the 1855 Classification, without division or a change of name.

First, the Name "Calon," and the Words the Marquis Left Behind

The château's origins are old. Wine was already being made on this land in the twelfth century, and records show that it was taxed even then. The name "Calon" is said to derive from calones, the small boats used in the Middle Ages to transport timber on the Gironde estuary.

The Ségur family acquired this land in 1670 through marriage. Later, as head of the family, Marquis Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur came to own Lafite and Latour as well. Then, in 1718, he also acquired the Mouton estate, which would later be classified a Second Growth. Two future First Growths and the future Second Growth Mouton — despite holding these three "higher-ranked" estates, the Marquis's heart is said to have still belonged to this Third Growth hill of Calon.

"I make wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is at Calon" — the Marquis is said to have spoken these words. No primary source (such as letters from the period) has been found to confirm this quotation, but the château's own official website presents it today as a story still passed down. In the centuries following the Marquis's own era, a heart motif inspired by these words is said to have been carved into the château's stonework, and it remains part of the label design today.

Beyond a Century — the Gasqueton Family, and to the Present Day

In the 1855 Classification, the estate has been listed among the Third Growths under the name "Calon-Ségur" ever since the original list. Without division or a change of name, it has remained in the Classification under the same name for more than 170 years.

In 1894, more than a century and a half after the Marquis's era, Georges Gasqueton and his uncle Charles Hanappier acquired the château. From then on, the Gasqueton family passed management down from Georges to his son Édouard and grandson Philippe; after Philippe's death, his wife Denise Gasqueton led the estate from 1995 to 2011. From the acquisition to the 2012 sale, the family's ownership spanned a total of 118 years.

In 2012, the château was sold by the Gasqueton family to Suravenir (a subsidiary of the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa group), moving into a new era. Jean-Pierre Denis became chairman, while Jean-François Moueix of the Vidrol group and his son Jean joined the management as minority-shareholder partners. On the ground, the estate is led by director Laurent Dufau, who arrived in 2013; consulting winemaker Éric Boissenot is also credited. That same year, 2012, the second wine's name was also changed from "Marquis de Calon" to the current "Le Marquis de Calon Ségur."

The story of this hill, to which the Marquis is said to have given his heart, connects in an unexpected way to the story of another château. Second Growth Montrose — the hill that was selected for the Classification just forty years after it was first cleared for planting — traces its origins to land that was once part of the Ségur family's Calon-Ségur estate. From a single estate, the stories of two châteaux, one a Third Growth and one a Second Growth, branched apart.

Three Facts Worth Knowing

• For more than 170 years since the 1855 Classification, the estate has remained in the Classification under the name "Calon-Ségur," without division or a change of name. This continuity is rare among the 61 classified châteaux of the Médoc, and the same name is still inscribed on the northernmost land of Saint-Estèphe today.
• From 1894 to 2012, the Gasqueton family safeguarded the château for three generations, spanning a total of 118 years. It is a history of family management passed from Georges to his son Édouard, his grandson Philippe, and then to Philippe's wife Denise.
• Second Growth Montrose traces its origins to land that was once part of the Ségur family's Calon-Ségur estate. From a single estate, the stories of two châteaux at different classification ranks branched apart.