Château Rauzan Ségla, 2ème Cru Classé, Margaux, 2023

Name: Château Rauzan Ségla, 2ème Cru Classé, Margaux
Brand: Château Rauzan Ségla
Price: 360 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2002 2015 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Rauzan's 70 hectares of vines are widely dispersed throughout the Margaux appellation. Nicolas Audebert explained that treating for mildew was complicated given the various terroirs and distanced between plots. Compared to Canon, which is in one plot, they couldn't react with the same speed, and as a result lost part of the crop. Now three years into organic conversion this Chanel owned second growth is regularly at the top of our most wanted list. The 2023 does not disappoint, sitting somewhere between the noir Palmer and the ethereal Margaux, it is yet again one of the most exciting wines of the Medoc. Hints of incense, chalky minerals, with floral notes of dandelions and peonies and bright cassis. This is well proportioned with a creamy well of hedgerow fruit, density with freshness, there's a succulence and polish to the core, which segues to a resonant finish with pure velvet tannins. A gorgeous Rauzan with depth and lift utilising 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, the highest ever proportion in the blend.

critic reviews

95-97/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2023 Rauzan-Segla is deep garnet-purple in color. It prances out with flamboyant notes of Morello cherries, blackcurrant pastilles, violets, and licorice giving way to suggestions of rosebud tea, crushed rocks, and Sichuan pepper. The medium-bodied palate delivers amazing tension to offset the shiny black and red berry layers, framed by velvety tannins, finishing long and perfumed. This is gorgeous! The blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.5% Merlot, and 1.5% Petit Verdot, aging 18 months in oak, 55% new, with pH 3.61 and yield 30 hl/ ha.

DRINKING WINDOW 2029 - 2050

date of review 05/2024

96/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Inkier and more luscious in texture than the Ségla, this has rich layers to its aromatic palate, showing rhubarb, savoury cassis and blueberry, peony, rose petals, soot, gunsmoke, graphite, flint, weight and texture, spiralling upwards. Wonderful expression of a wine that seems supremely Margaux and supremely Rauzan Ségla. 50% new oak.

DRINKING WINDOW 2032 - 2048

date of review 05/2024

93-95/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2023 Rauzan-Ségla was picked from September 7 until 29 at 30hL/ha, matured in 55% new oak. It contains more Cabernet Sauvignon this year (85%) due to the mildew-affected Merlot being parsed out of the blend. This has a very aromatic bouquet of wilted violets, black cherries and hints of camphor, with a faint oyster shell note lingering in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. This is endowed with tension and purity, while a light marine influence imparts character. Armed with an energetic, spicy finish, this is a more classical Rauzan-Ségla that deserves five or six years in bottle. Even so, it already conveys an air of sophistication.

DRINKING WINDOW 2029 - 2050

date of review 04/2024

94-96/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2023 Rauzan-Segla shows considerable promise, unwinding in the glass with aromas of cherries, dark berries and plums mingled with hints of pencil shavings and violets. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's deep and fleshy, with terrific purity of fruit, supple tannins and a long, resonant finish. This classic in the making is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.5% Merlot and 1.5% Petit Verdot.

date of review 04/2024