Ségla du Château Rauzan Ségla, Margaux, 2016
critic reviews
The 2016 Ségla is drinking beautifully. Black cherries, cassis and violets on the nose immediately nail this as a Margaux, quite plush and seductive. The palate has wonderful balance and saturated tannins. It’s silky smooth with a sweet but poised finish that slips down the throat with ease. This is exactly what second labels should be for.
Always a consistently impressive 2nd wine, one to to look out for and especially so in exceptional vintages like 2016. You'll find more marked acidity in Segla than Rauzan Ségla in the 2016, giving it a juicy mouthfeel, very much ready to enjoy, with blueberry and redcurrant fruits along with gourmet cocoa bean and liquorice notes. This wine was first introduced in the 1960s, rebranded in 1989, from plots planted on Terraces 3 and 5 (unlike the first wine, which is from largely Terrace 4).
The 2016 Segla had been blended for a month when I tasted it with the exception of 14 experimental barrels. It comprises of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 53% Merlot with 1% each of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, matured in 20% new oak. It has a very polished and quite opulent bouquet with kirsch, blackberry, a touch of glycerine and just a hint of menthol. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannin, silky smith in texture with a dash of spice on the back palate, and a compact but long finish.