Château Rauzan-Ségla 2023

85% Cabernet Sauvignon, the highest share ever also in the Grand Vin; deep, floral, rose petals, cherries, cassis; on the palate, densely built, vertical, fresh, with plenty of drive and tension, crisp, juicy, masses of tannins envelop the fruit, saline finish on red berries and blood orange. Outstanding once again, pure elegance!

The 2023 Rauzan Ségla has quite a plush nose for the vintage, perhaps more 2022 in style, scents of cassis, black plum, vanilla and camphor that emerge with aeration. The palate is classy: very cohesive, smooth, with well-defined, chiseled tannins. The oak is very well integrated, with a persistent finish that tempts you back for more. While not quite matching the very best recent vintages, it is only a nose behind.

Violets, lilacs, and roses are not all that you notice. You also discover red and black fruits, tobacco, cedar, chocolate, licorice, and mint leaves in the perfume. The palate is even better, with an energetic, silky, fresh display of ripe red and black fruits. What I really like here is the purity, paired with opulence in the long, velvet-textured, polished, expansive, luxurious finish. The wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.5% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2029-2055.

Dark ruby, purple reflections. After candied violets and cassis, ripe cherries, inviting, mandarin zest, multi-faceted bouquet. Juicy, elegant, good fruit, fine tannins, bright freshness, balanced and long-lasting, a great Margaux with character and certain ageing potential.

Delivers on its En Primeur promise, with a slate-like texture you can sink into; simply a delicious wine you want to share. It will keep opening up and improving over the next decade, capturing the beauty of the vintage—classic, but with hidden power—savoury brambled blackberry and bilberry, juicy with graphite, pencil and gunsmoke notes. 50% new oak for ageing.

Score: 96–98. The nose, initially restrained, opens to reveal a magical garden of violets, irises, wild strawberries, and plum trees, with delightfully smooth and refined aromas. The palate asserts itself further, with a melting, sinuous, enveloping, expansive texture that takes your breath away. The finish is long and soothing, structured by tannins that flex their muscles but already know they’ve lost.

Blue fruits, wax crayon on the nose, some soft floral notes, a little quiet aromatically. Intense and forward, this is bright and focused, a little more velvety than Segla, this has verticality but with a deep mid-palate that really extends, giving more a sense of controlled power. Certainly not shouting, but this is very polished. Quite a serious take, more dark fruit, less lively, crunchy red fruit. A great result with structure and volume. There’s a balance between intensity and freshness, all delivered subtly and with class. More Margaux than some others in the vintage, soft tannins add a touch of voluptuousness. Touches of wet stone also linger on the finish. A lot to like here. Feels very Rauzan, very polished, a touch ‘less’ than 2022 of course, but this has great energy and lots of drinkability. pH 3.61. 60% grand vin production.

This is remarkably tight for a ’23, showing iron-encased notes of black cherry, currant and bitter plum reduction that show cut and drive but are a ways off from melding fully with the chestnut leaf, violet and ink accents that lie atop them. Almost bristling with tension, but there’s coiled energy and serious precision. The rare vin de garde for this vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2028 through 2040. 8,000 cases made, 610 cases imported.

The brilliance and precision of Rauzan-Ségla’s bouquet are a reminder of how this estate moves in spheres of excellence, nuance and relevance. Everything is highlighted, guided above all by harmony and elegance. The freshness of Cabernet, the luscious Merlot and the exuberant Petit Verdot create a compelling synergy. On the palate, the wine stands out for its vibrant energy, finesse, serene power and aromatic persistence. Consistency is a precious framework that brings out components that complement one another; even if they tend to amplify their own personalities, the result is a delightful unity. A wine at the start of its journey, yet one that can already boast a place on Margaux’s podium—indeed, for quite some time!

Logo on the cork: AL Deep black color. Intense nose with ripe, dark fruit. A sunny touch. Fresher when the glass is swirled. Soft on the attack, aromatic through the mid-palate, with a powerful drive, this rich wine melts across the palate. It finishes deep, with a good, sappy length and rounded, enveloping tannins.

Charming and expressive, the 2023 Ségla bursts with notes of blackberries, burning embers, violets and pencil shavings. Medium- to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, it's ample and giving, and it will drink well on release.