Château Rauzan Segla 2015

The wines of Château Rauzan-Ségla have captivated the minds and seduced the hearts of many for the greater part of three centuries. The American President and oenophile Thomas Jefferson was a fan of this beguiling Margaux estate and ordered several cases during his well-documented visit to Bordeaux in 1784.   Château Rauzan-Ségla was delineated as a 2nd Growth during the 1855 Classification, yet many will claim the wines from Rauzan-Ségla have a shot of standing up to the First Growth producers in terms of quality and sophistication during select vintages.  In the 1980s and early 90s, American wine critic Robert Parker Jr lamented that Rauzan-Ségla was not delivering on its potential.  That was bound to change.

Prior to the 1855 Classification, Château Rauzan-Ségla was a massive estate with sweeping grounds in both Margaux and Cantenac.  They were carved up into four smaller estates – Château Rauzan-Gassies, Château Desmirail, Château Marquis de Terme and the incomparable Château Rauzan-Ségla.  Ownership of the estate changed hands throughout the centuries until it was acquired by the Wertheimer family of the iconic women’s fashion brand, Chanel.  The family took the quality of Château Rauzan-Ségla to new heights and hired a winemaking team led by Château Latour’s David Orr and John Kolasa.  Since the Wertheimer family acquired the estate, the wines of Rauzan-Ségla have become more promising with each consecutive vintage.  The present winemaker Nicolas Audebert brings his skill from Möet Chandon and believes in producing wines that will last for decades.

Château Rauzan-Ségla is proof that great wine is a product of both exceptional terroir and winemaking technique.  With its gently sloping vineyards and mixture of soils, Château Rauzan-Ségla has arguably some of the best terroir in all of Margaux.  Nothing is left to chance at this estate, and the winemaking team carefully assesses the optimum terroirs to plant the vines.  Multiple clones of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot are planted in different parcels on the estate depending on the soil.  Merlot is planted on the vineyard sites with bluish clay and Cabernet Sauvignon is planted in the more graveled areas of the 79-hectare vineyard.   Berries are tasted individually for ripeness and then picked and vinified parcel by parcel.  The weather is fairly moderate due to the proximity of the Gironde.  Regardless, adaptability is key here, and the team of expert vignerons must pivot during extreme weather conditions in this ever-changing environment.  With the help of cutting-edge winemaking technology and expertise in the field, the Rauzan-Ségla team navigates the capricious weather and delivers consistently excellent wines.

There is an ethos of elegance at Château Rauzan-Ségla, and it permeates nearly every facet of the estate and its wines.  If one is fortunate enough to visit the Château, one will marvel at the richly furnished interior designed by the incomparable Karl Lagerfeld.  Just a sip of one of Rauzan-Ségla’s opulent wines is enough to envelop the drinker in a whirlwind of sophistication.  The grand vin, Rauzan-Ségla, promises a delightfully rich journey with the beautiful aroma of cigar box that is signature to the estate.  The sister wine, Ségla, is friendly, fresh and succulent.  It possesses some of the intensity of Rauzan-Ségla, but is a much more approachable wine that begs to be enjoyed immediately. 

"I underrated the 2015 Rauzan-Ségla on release. It’s a big, rich, incredibly sexy wine that’s certainly in the same ballpark as the 2016 (and 2018). Full-bodied, ripe, and concentrated, it has a wonderfully expansive, layered texture as well as an incredible sense of balance. Lots of cassis, leafy herbs, flowery incense, and tobacco notes all emerge from this beauty, which offers sweet tannins as well as a huge finish. This is magical stuff that’s going to keep for three decades or more." - Jeb Dunnuck, (05/01/2019), Ratings: 98, Drink: 2019-2049

"The 2015 Rauzan-Segla (Rausan-Segla) was a magnificent wine out of barrel, but what matters, of course, is how you and I find this Margaux in bottle. Well, it has a disarmingly beautiful, almost haunting bouquet with pure black fruit laced with cedar, orange blossom and violet aromas that blossom in the glass. I cannot recollect a Rauzan-Segla as delineated as this. The palate is medium-bodied but with ripe, quite bold tannin that lends this wine much more volume than in previous vintages. This just fills the mouth and satiates the senses. There is a fine line of acidity here and tints of black truffle. There is a wondrous mineral tension on the finish and yet this is a Margaux that is determined and succeeds in satiating all the senses...apart from sound. So put your favorite musician on and savor this exceptional wine over the coming years. A benchmark." - Neal Martin, Vinous, (03/02/2018), Ratings: 97, Drink: 2021-2060

"The 2015 Rauzan-Segla (Rausan-Segla) is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc and was matured in 65% new and 35% one-year-old barrels for 18 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it gives up a myriad of softly spoken fresh berry, floral and fragrant earth notes, including crushed red and black currants, black raspberries and menthol notes with touches of cigar box, lavender, violets, smoked meats, black truffles and chargrill. Medium to full-bodied with a firm frame of very finely grained tannins and seamless freshness, the palate possesses an arresting quiet intensity of many tightly wound, subtle layers, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Very polished and precise, this Rauzan-Ségla is truly a triumph!" - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, (02/21/2018, Interim Issue), Ratings: 97, Drink: 2024-2047

"Packed full of blackberry, redcurrant, creme de cassis, chocolate shavings, slate, tar, supple yet muscular texture to the tannins, this tugs you back in, taking its time as it slowly unrolls. Great stuff, still a little subdued aromatically but has the texture and the grip to ensure decades of life. 65% new oak, 40hl/h yield, harvest September 10 to October 9. First year with Nicolas Audebert as director, taking over from John Kolasa." - Jane Anson, (01/30/2023), Ratings: 97