CHÂTEAU RAUZAN-SÉGLA

2018 2ème Cru Classé Margaux

EN PRIMEUR

We tasted one sample from a used barrel (2016) and two different toasts of new oak. The Saint Martin lent lovely smoothness and extra sweetness to the fruit, the Taransaud more structure and spice. You feel both in the balance of the final blend which sees 65% new wood from several different coopers. The nose combines opulent black fruit with lifted florality. On the palate the fruit is cool and pure. The tannins are so well judged and there's a really suave feel to the creamy, dense finish. This is a tremendous Rauzan-Ségla. Come back to it in a decade and you will not be disappointed. Drinking range: 2030 - 2050L&S (Apr 2019)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

All of the elements that you look for in a wine to lay down are found here - meaning concentration, nuance, layers of ripe fruits and tannins that will open up over time, and fresh acidities to provide the backbone for ageing. Even now you can enjoy the abudandant blackcurrant, bilberry, charcoal, smoked earth and black pepper spice. Great stuff from Nicolas Audebert and his team. 3.8ph, 65% new oak. Drinking range: 2028 - 2044 Rating: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter (Oct 2021)

The 2018 Rauzan-Ségla has a sublime bouquet of black cherries, violet and lavender, all beautifully defined and focused. The oak is seamlessly enmeshed both here and on the palate. The graphite-tinged black fruit is framed by very fine tannins and matched with a perfect bead of acidity. There is an abiding symmetry about this Rauzan-Ségla that is totally endearing, and it delivers so much freshness on the finish. Absolutely superb. Drinking range: 2024 - 2050 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

The 2018 Rauzan-Ségla is fabulous. Inky, rich and explosive, the 2018 offers tremendous depth and soaring intensity. Super-ripe red cherry, cedar, tobacco, mint and spice all build over time, framed by incomparably silky, polished tannins. Today, the 2018 is dense and packed. I expect it will develop into a stunning Margaux in another 10-15 years or so. Actually, it already is. Drinking range: 2028 - 2058 Rating: 97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

Aromas of crushed blackberries and blueberries with dried flowers and bark, following through to a full body with a tight and powerful palate of beautiful fruit and chewy yet polished tannins that are compressed and impressive. Extremely linear and intense. Muscular, in a toned way. Yet it opens in the mouth at you taste it. 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. Drink after 2025. Rating: 99 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)

Unquestionably in the same class as the 2016, the 2018 Rauzan-Ségla is magical stuff and plays in the top tier of the vintage. A rough blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 2% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot brought up in 65% new French oak, its deep purple color is followed by complex notes of sweet crème de cassis, cigar tobacco, crushed flowers, lead pencil shavings, and crushed rock-like minerality. Full-bodied, concentrated, and incredibly classic in style, it’s made in a style similar to the 2016 yet is slightly more elegant (possibly not as concentrated), with building structure, beautiful purity, and a great, great finish. Like most vintages from this estate today, it will drink beautifully in its youth yet easily evolve for 30 years or more. For the data-driven people out there, this beauty hit 13.2% alcohol with a pH of 3.68. You probably couldn’t have too much of this in the cellar. Rating: 96-98 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)

Barrel sample. Black core. Expressive cassis on the nose, just slightly herbal and very stony/mineral. This has real finesse on the palate, chalky and very fine texture. Dark, almost savoury restraint on the palate. Pretty dry on the finish but in balance with the power on the palate. Notable freshness in 2018. Needs time. Drinking range: 2025 - 2033 Rating: 16.5+ Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)

The 2018 Rauzan-Ségla is blended of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested from September 27 to October 11; Merlot from September 13-27; Cabernet Franc on September 28; and Petit Verdot from September 28-29. The wine has 14% alcohol and aging is anticipated to be 18 months in barriques, 65% new. Deep purple-black in color, it comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of warm plums, crème de cassis, Black Forest cake and candied violets with hints of mocha, Indian spices and fragrant earth plus a waft of crushed rocks. Full-bodied, multilayered and sporting a lot of freshness and tension in the mouth in spite of all its decadent perfumed black fruits, it has a firm, finely grained frame and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Seduction in a glass. Rating: 97-99 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)

This is one of the most structured and deep Rauzans I have tasted with a full body, layers of fruit and a firm and polished tannin backbone. Compact and composed. Such depth and power. 60 per cent cabernet sauvignon and 40 per cent merlot. Rating: 99-100 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)

Rauzan-Ségla is here proclaiming its right to be considered among the wines of the year in Margaux. In the Chanel stable, Canon has had the edge for me in the past few vintges, but here Rauzan Ségla comes roaring back with its mix of elegance and confidence matched by perfectly ripe, Cabernet-dominant fruit. There's a slightly higher percentage of Merlot than usual - partly because it was so good this year and partly because the concentration in the Cabernets took the yields down (a real feature of the vintage, they were at 32hl/ha here). The Merlot adds flesh through the mid-palate, which is followed by freshly crushed mint on the finish which adds precision and lift. Great quality. 3.8pH. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. Drinking range: 2028 - 2042 Rating: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)

Margaux Deuxième cru 1855 During the late 17th Century Pierre Desmezures de Rauzan gradually accumulated a sizable portfolio of vineyard property in Pauillac and Margaux. The Pauillac properties ended up, through his daughter's marriage into the Pichon family, as the two great Pichon châteaux (and a small parcel even ended up as part of Château Latour). The Margaux vineyards continued with the family name until 1792 when the Rauzan estate was split between two daughters, one who married Pierre Louis de Ségla and the other who was married to the Seigneur de Gassies. Both Rauzans were awarded 2nd Growth status in 1855, and for the remainder of the 19th Century Château Rauzan-Ségla was regarded as one of the leading Deuxième cru. Frédéric Cruse bought Rauzan-Ségla in 1903 and had the present château built, although the 54 years of Cruse family ownership saw the estate go into slow decline. Through the 1970's and into the 80's, however, much needed investment and renewal put Château Rauzan-Ségla back on the map. There are just over 50ha of vines spread between Margaux and Cantenac - 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and just 1% Cabernet Franc. The hand-harvested grapes are fremented in temperature-controlled stainless-steel before spending up to 20 months in oak (50%-60% new). For a long time the estate was spelt "Rausan-Ségla" but, in 1994, they reverted to the historical spelling with a "z".

Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.

Ordering

Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.

Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.

Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.

Confirmation

All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.

Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.

Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.

Delivery

  • Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
  • Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
  • Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
  • Delivery of 2022 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2025. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.

Practical notes - how it works

We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.

Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.

Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.

One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-

  • +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
  • +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
  • +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
  • +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
  • +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
  • +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.

Storage Options:

Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2025. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.