Rauzan Segla Margaux, 2019, 750ML

Feature

Tasting Note

Wine Advocate 96, William Kelley

The 2019 Rauzan-Ségla has turned out brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with fragrant aromas of cassis, blackberries, violets, rose petals and sweet soil tones. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and concentrated, it's deep and layered, with beautifully refined tannins, lively acids and a long, perfumed finish. This is a sensual, elegant Rauzan-Ségla from Nicolas Audebert and his team.

Vinous 97, Neal Martin

The 2019 Rauzan-Ségla is a wine that I did not taste en primeur. Picked from September 12 to October 9 and matured in 60% new oak, it has a gorgeous, seductive bouquet of pure blackberry, bilberry, crushed iris petals and just a hint of licorice. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and good cohesion and depth. The oak is seamlessly integrated on the finish, which lingers like a temptress. Two samples tasted, the second demonstrating a little more salinity on the aftertaste. This will be irresistible. 2027 - 2060

James Suckling 96

Subtle and complex aromas of sweet berries, rose stems and lavender with some sandalwood. Medium-to full-bodied with beautiful depth of fruit, creamy tannins and lots of chocolate and berry character. Yet, it’s tight at the end, showing beautiful depth and length. So structured. Try after 2027.

Winemaking 

The wines are fermented in 60 temperature controlled, stainless steel vats, varying from 10 to 150 hectoliters for vinification plot by plot. 
Fermentation takes between 20 to 24 days and malolactic takes place in the vat as well.
The wine aged for 18 months in 60% new French oak barrels, with medium and a medium-long toast.
The 2019 is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35.5% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc.
Organic

Winery

The history of Chateau Rauzan Segla dates back to 1661, when Pierre Desmezures de Rauzan acquired the estate. He was also the manager of Chateau Margaux and Chateau Latour at the time.
With the death of Pierre Desmezures de Rauzan in 1692, the Margaux property were divided between his 3 sons, while his Pauillac vineyards were passed to his younger daughter. From this inheritance it was created the Chateau Pichon Baron.
In the 18th century, Rauzan Segla and Rauzan Gassies vineyards were split, with one of the brothers making his wines separate from the other 2 sons of Pierre de Rauzan.
Catherine de Rauzan, Baroness of Segla, inherited the estate in 1916 and decided to change its name from Domaine de Rauzan to Chateau Rauzan-Segla.
Part of the worldwide fame of the Chateau came from a wine order of 10 cases wine by Thomas Jefferson during a visit to Bordeaux in 1787, shortly after that during the 1855 Classification the property was classified as a Second Growth.
After 2 centuries of ownership by the Rauzan family, the Chateau was sold to Eugene Durand-Dassier in 1866, and passed to his son in law Frederic Cruse in 1903, who built the Chateau as we know today.
As one of the many improvements brought by the Cruse family was hiring Professor Emile Peynaud as a consulting winemaker by 1983, and fully renovating the winery in 1986.
Finally, in 1994 the Chateau was sold to the Wertheimer brothers, the owners of the luxury brand Chanel.
Among the changes they implemented was the restoration of the Chateau, extensive replanting of the vineyards with a considerable increase of the Petit Verdot variety, and a redesign of the cellar with smaller vats to allow vinification plot by plot.
The property currently farms around 70 hectares of vineyards, with an average of 37 years old vines, mostly planted in gravel and clay soils. Farmed organically since 2018.
Two wines are produced by the Chateau, the grand vin, and the second wine, Segla.