Address: Rue Alex Millardet, 33460, Margaux

Telephone: +33 (0)5 57 88 82 10

E-mail: contact@rauzan-segla.com

Website: www.rauzan-segla.com

Big changes here at Château Rauzan-Ségla over the last twenty years. Despite is excellent location and terroir this was a second growth Margaux that languished for many years. It was bought in 1994 by the  Werthheimer family who own Chanel and lots of investments have been made. John Kolasa, who used to be at Château Latour in the early 1990s, was in charge for almost two decades until his retirement in 2015. Today Rauzan-Ségla produces big, bold, strong wines which also manage to provide Margaux perfume. Often, alongside Château Palmer, it is the finest wine in the Margaux appellation besides that of Château Margaux itself. Ségla is the second wine. Consulting oenologists are Jacques and Eric Boissenot.

Vineyard/Soil: 52 hectares on deep fine gravel with clay at different layers planted to 6600-10000 vines per hectare. Plantings comprise 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Green harvest and leaf thinning. Grapes entirely hand-picked into twenty kilo boxes and then sorted on a vibrating table at the cellar. Grapes are de-stemmed without crushing.

Winemaking/Elévage: 35 stainless steel and temperature controlled vats# with capacities between 41-220hl which provide for single plot fermentation. 6-8 day alcoholic fermentation with pumping over is followed typically by a maceration of 12-20 days depending on the vintage. The wine is aged in approximately 50-60% new oak, medium toast from a variety of coopers, in French oak. During barrel maturation, the barriques are topped twice weekly, and then racked every three months. Egg white fining, no filtration. 10,000 cases of the Grand Vin produced and 10,000 cases of the second wine Ségla are made.

• 2015 Deep and saturated colour; tight to the edge; fresh and ripe berry aromas; pretty fruit; nicely lifted notes; pure Cabernet notes on the palate; structured and correct; minerality and intensity here; grip and a fresh finish. Classically structured Rauzan-Ségla. Reminds me of the 2010. [63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 14% alc]. Drink 2022-2040. 93-95+
• 2014 Deep colour; tight to rim; blackcurrants and cassis; some oak; little stewed note; black cherry; cassis and some fruit cake; nice texture; black fruits; tight and focused on the palate; has flesh and structure. Serious as ever. John Kolasa’s last vintage here. [52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc]. Drink 2020-2032. Tasted 31 March, 2015 at UGC. 90-92
• 2013 Deepish; firm nose suggests this may well be a bit hard; actually good and solid effort on the palate; not overdone; spicy tones; compact; acidity and sap here but not dry in tannin although there is some chew on the finish. [58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 2% petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc]. Tasted UGCB April 2014. Drink 2018-2025. 86-88+
• 2012 Deep looking; tight on the nose; resin; mineral tones; very pent-up in feel; quite a serious effort; palate coiled like a spring but tannin on the end is soft and round. Chewy finish. Serious for 2012, and in the context perhaps a little dour at this stage. Drink 2018-2028. 89+ UGC Oct ’14 [Earlier note] Deep and saturated; tight to the rim; creamy, layered nose; lushness here; seam of fruit; blackcurrants; nice palate with very good entry; focused and precise; some tannin at the end but very much in keeping with the fruit and structure of the wine. Serious but plenty of material. Very impressive. 92-94+ Tasted UGC Thursday April 11, 2013 [Earlier note] Deep and saturated looking; some spices, ripe fruits and layers; nice seam of fruit; nice entry, full, lush and layered with extract and material. A supple quality here too [usually a little stern and correct]. Well balanced and harmonious. 54.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 1.5% Petit Verdot. 13 degrees 92-94+ Tasted UGC Tuesday April 9, 2013.
• 2011 Deepish – saturated at edge; intense, inky aromas with some oak resin and chocolate; intense clearly but also pretty chewy and tannic on the end. Puckering at present and feels very extracted. Was one of the few promising Margaux’s during primeurs. Hopefully should come good but clearly needs time to settle and sort itself out. Drink 2018-2025 88? UGC Oct ’13 [Earlier note] Deep central core of colour; more focus, depth and appeal; dark cherry notes, blackcurrants, some cassis – nice purity here; lots of layers and ripe fruit; structure, fruit and some acid on the palate – grippy yes but with nice fruit to balance. Some chew but this has the guts. 90-92+
• 2010 Deep looking; legs; blackcurrant cassis; some mineral; purity; intense; slightly chalky note; full bold palate; firm with depth; little unyielding at present and needs time [5 years plus]; depth and structure here. Some chew to the considerable tannin. Masculine style, typically serious and less overt than the glorious 2009 here. Drink 2019-2045. 94+ MW Institute Nov ’14 [Earlier note] Deep and concentrated looking; legs; lifted blackcurrants; some chalk and wet stone; red fruits here too; quite dense and chalky on the palate; lots of structure and grip. Little VA lift. Purity here but pretty dense and tannic effort with lots of grip. 90+/100 UGC Oct ’12 [Earlier] Deep and intense looking; very ripe, sweet strawberry nose; quite a surprise; good palate but real extraction; Blimey! Big and extracted on the palate. Monster? How will this develop? 2009 better looking at the same stage. 88?/100 [60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc 1% Petit Verdot, alc 14%] Tasted 5 April 2011 at UGC. [Second tasting] Deep and concentrated; more strawberry ripeness; cherry, attractive and some violets with ripe cherry; very dense and rich and intense but lots of tannin; dense and chewy. More settled than first sample. A far cry from 2009’s knockout quality though. 89-91/100 Tasted 7 April 2011 at UGC
• 2009 Deep and saturated looking; very intense on the nose; minerals, cassis, pretty pent up and not currently as flashy as some [or as it was during primeurs]; loads of fruit on the palate though; layer upon layer of blackcurrant fruit here – this has such a long way to go. Tannins pretty hefty but ripe. Needs some time and will be long-lived. Drink 2019-2040. 95+ MW Institute, Nov ’13 [Earlier note] Inky and deep looking; perfume, lots of flavour on the nose; oak influence too; violets on the palate with black fruits; density and depth; overall a serious effort and looks to be very good though a trifle shut down from its showy primeur self. A great wine in the making though. Shame about the dreadful Karl Largerfelt designed label that’s all. 93-95+/100 UGC Oct ’11 [Earlier]Deep and intense; up to rim; sturdy creamy note; summer fruit compote; intense nose; some violets; good palate; structured oak but good flesh here. This is really good. 92-94+. Some coffee and intensity on the finish. [Second] Very deep and dark; perfumed and intense violets; cherry, some eau de vie; plums and very ripe fruits. Palate sweet entry and big and tannic but ripe tannins and not at all drying; Big wine and lashings of fruit with nice chew and bite at the end. Very powerful style of wine which works in this case. Terrific. 95+/100 [13.9% alcohol, 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot] Tasted 30^th March and 1^st April 2010.
• 2008 Mid depth; some red at edge; red fruits, some spice, leaf – blackcurrant and pastel notes; spices; blackcurrants on the palate, layers and purity here; core of fruit in here [shows how hollow many of these are in this commune]; structured yes but has the guts. 90+ MW Institute Nov ’12 [Earlier] Quite developed mid red colour; quite a meaty nose with some perfume; palate rather hard; some fruit and savour but tannic and dry. This may round out but pretty tannic style. 86-88/100 UGC Oct ’10
• 2007 Mid red; not huge depth; some earthy tobacco notes and cool Cabernet freshness; clean; ripe entry; quite solid and structured; depth to the palate; chewy tannin; grippy but not a bad effort. 88+/100 MW Institute Nov ’11 [Earlier] Mid-depth; intense nose and fine Margaux perfume of violets; good intensity on the palate; concentrated wine with depth; still elegant but with some tobacco characters. Elegant but had depth. Good. 88+/100 UGC Oct ’09
• 2006 Deep, dark at core; attractive nose with Margaux perfume, some violets and some lift and oak; some elegance here too; quite firm palate, lacks some flesh and there is lots of structure and acid. This will age well and the tannins are ok. Quite nicely judged on the palate; quite chewy and with some density; maybe lacks a bit of concentration at the end but overall finish seems good. Real chew and extract here. Not as show off fantastic as 2009 which remains for me the benchmark for the heights this well situated estate can achieve. 88-90/100 MW Institute Nov ’10
• 1983 Dark; chunky little finesse, dry tannins. OK. 83/100 Nov ‘97