Château Rauzan-Ségla 1999

Offers subtle aromas of grilled meat, with mulberry undertones. Medium-bodied, featuring light fruit and a delicate finish. Rather light. -- '89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now. 8,330 cases made.

1999 was quite a good vintage in Margaux, in comparison to some other parts of Bordeaux. There is that woodsmoke note again, along with black truffle and a medicinal, clove touch that just suggests we are sliding over to tertiary aromatics. It doesn't quite have the precise quality of today's Rauzan Séglas but it's seductive, charming and full of pleasure.

The 1999 Rauzan-Ségla is a modest success for the vintage. The bouquet offers raspberry, sage and light mint aromas, simple and perhaps less “ambitious” than the 1998. The palate is well balanced and quite firm and stocky, not a Margaux with finesse but showing decent length. I doubt that it will improve with further bottle age, yet you would welcome it appearing on your dinner table. Perhaps destined to remain overshadowed by vintages on either side. Tasted from a bottle from my own cellar.

A lighter style of Margaux, offering a delicate, complex nose and a bright, fresh palate of red fruit with earthy notes. This should improve, but it does not have a long future.

Lots of spice, dried herbs, flowery incense, cedar, and assorted dark fruits emerge from the 1999 Rauzan-Ségla, which is built around 58% Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 40% Merlot and a splash of Petit Verdot. Fully mature, medium-bodied, nicely balanced, and elegant on the palate, this is drinking wonderfully today, and while it’s not going to improve, it will certainly hold nicely for another 7-8 years.

Dark ruby-garnet color. Spicy bouquet with aromas of fine woods, black pepper and floral notes, with a lovely blueberry nuance. On the palate, pleasantly lean yet concentrated, with a fine, sandy-textured extract, wild raspberries, plenty of substance, good structure, and a nice length, finishing with a gentle yet noble bitterness.

00: Barrel sample (17/20): very spicy bouquet with aromas of fine woods, black pepper and floral notes, with a lovely blueberry note behind. On the palate pleasantly slender, with concentrated, finely sandy extract, wild raspberries, lots of substance, good backbone, nice length, gentle yet noble bitterness on the finish. 03: Medium ruby-purple. Intense toasty bouquet, Damassine plums, slightly jammy on the attack, cocoa note. Silky, very finely knit palate, a dance of fresh red and blue berries, graceful and elegant, yet endowed with gorgeous Margaux aromatics, charming and completely harmonious. A singular plaisir de boire and perhaps a youthful-drinking experience you won’t regret. (17/20). 16: Medium-dark purple with matte highlights. Dark-berried, surprisingly deep bouquet, open-knit and underpinned by attractive terroir notes. A beautifully matured, very appealing nose. On the palate, showing a subtly brittle texture, thus a touch roughening and, for a Margaux usually so fine, a rather rustic contour. Two tips here: a) uncork and b) create a suitable pairing. Despite some reservations, it won’t improve further. The nose was 18/20, the rest: 17/20.

Logo on the cork: TL Dark colour, medium intensity, bright red, showing evolution on the rim. Moderately aromatic nose with fresh fruit. Delicate on the attack, fruity through the mid-palate, fairly perfumed and medium-bodied, the wine finishes a little on the simple side.

The dark ruby/purple-colored 1999 Rauzan-Segla possesses medium to full body, impressive structure, moderate tannin, and excellent plum, black currant, and cherry fruit infused with camphor, earth, and iron characteristics. It is a substantial effort for the vintage. This is a 1999 that will benefit from 2–3 years of cellaring, and keep for 15+.