Description

Rauzan Segla is one of the great 2nd Growths. From its 51 hectare in Margaux it offers one of the best and most consistent Grand Vins that by Bordeaux standards offers quite good value too. Production is limited to about 8000 cases of Grand Vin, the rest goes into their second label ‘Segla’. When the 1855 Classification was completed we often forget there was a ranking within each growth. Rauzan Segla was ranked behind Mouton Rothschild at the time; arguably the top of the seconds after Mouton was promoted. In 1994 the famous fashion house Chanel purchased the estate seeking to restore the Chateau to its former glories. They then appointed John Kolasa and David Orr, poached from Chateau Latour to head up the new winemaking team. Since then the Chateau has rapidly gained a reputation alongside Palmer and Margaux as the one of the great wines from Margaux.

The vineyards of Rauzan Segla are broken down into 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 2% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Both Grand Vin and Second label wines generally reflect this break down but it appears that Rauzan gets a larger proportion of Petit Verdot.

This is a classy wine from one of the great modern vintages. While it is just a pup and need about three nights open to show its very best it is exactly what Bordeaux should taste like. Dark berries, fragrant and savoury/earthy/mineral with a firm tannic and acid backbone that gives it drive. This needs another 5-10 years in the cellar. It is not ‘cheap’ but by Bordeaux standards it is excellent value.

 “59% Cabernet Sauvignon ; 36% Merlot ; 3.5% Petit Verdot ; 1.5% Cabernet Franc. Produced from the younger vines of the property. Approxiamately 10 days fermentation in stainless steel followed by 15 months aging in oak, 20% new. Fine and dense and upright. Real structure here. Bravo! 16.5pts” – Jancis Robinson

Margaux – One of the largest appellations and therefore one of the most mixed in quality each year. The Margaux wines tend to be more restrained, mineral and aromatic than the Medoc wines but they don’t achieve the plushness of the Right Bank despite Merlot often being a major player in the wines.

2009 – Having tasted a few vintages of Bordeaux in my time I have no doubt that this will be one of the best in the modern era. I feel that 2010 is on a par for different reasons and 2005 exceeds them both, but it is a small margin.