CHÂTEAU RAUZAN-SÉGLA

The 2021 Rauzan-Ségla has a beautifully defined bouquet that soars from the glass with blackberry, raspberry coulis, hints of iodine and crushed iris flower aromas. The new oak (60%) is seamlessly integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins and perfectly judged acidity, silky yet with sufficient tension and sapidity on the edgy finish to beckon you back for another sip. This is a splendid Rauzan-Ségla that I suspect will mature in bottle for longer than you might expect. Drinking range: 2027 - 2060 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2024)

75 Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 Merlot | 60% new oak | 13% alc | 3.72 pH | 38 hl/ha | 45% Grand Vin, 55% second wine Ségla and 5% is sold as generic Margaux This is a rare structured wine in 2021 with decent fruit weight and correspondingly strident oak. It is also a classy effort with assured balance and prodigious length. The density of flavour, the length and the layers of complexity are incredibly impressive for a Margaux, bearing in mind that this is a patchy commune at best in 2021. The challenge at Razan-Ségla was to maintain aromatics while preserving freshness, and judicious viticulture was required to either ‘clean’ or remove every bunch on every vine. Bit by bit, the vines cleaned up, and they seemingly realised that they were being looked after incredibly carefully by the viti-team, and the results are evident in the glass. In the 70ha property, they employed 30-40 staff (with even more brought in at specific moments), showing the commitment here. This colossal effort has paid off with one of the region’s most expressive and joyous wines. Rating: 18 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2022)

A clear step up from the Ségla, proving why in 2021 even with the best names and most accomplished winemakers, it pays to head to the 1st wines. This is excellent for the vintage, with sinewy-juice-filled blue and black fruits. Cabernet-dominant, fresh, well constructed, precise, you feel a slightly higher acidity than usual, giving a muscular, angular feel. As it opens cloves, cassis bud and rose stems appear. 60% new oak, well balanced, clear classicism and the alcohol level feels refreshing and restrained. Working with the vintage, a little shorter on the finish that the biggest vintages but this is easy to recommend. Tasted twice, 45% of overall production. A candidate for upscore in bottle. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2022)

According to Nicolas Audebert, the 2021 Rauzan Ségla has a reduced proportion of Merlot, as a consequence of which it was felt that the Petit Verdot crowded out the final blend and was thus demoted to the Deuxième Vin. Matured in 60% new oak for an intended 18 months, it has a surprisingly opulent bouquet with conspicuous Merlot that has the hubris to vie for attention with the Cabernet. Very pure and well-defined, this gains intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very finely chiseled tannins, displaying disarming purity and poise. Minerally on the finish, with just the faintest hint of dark chocolate on the aftertaste. Precision, precision, precision. (13.0% alcohol) Drinking range: 2027 - 2060 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2022)

The 2021 Rauzan-Ségla is absolutely gorgeous. It offers up scents of graphite, savory herbs, licorice, chocolate and plum, all beautifully lifted by strong Cabernet Sauvignon inflections. Naturally, the 2021 doesn't have the mid-palate richness and overall intensity of recent years. Readers will find a tightly wound Margaux that balances classic structure with modern-day precision. I can't wait to see how it ages. Tasted four times. Drinking range: 2031 - 2051 Rating: 94-97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2022)