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!

85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.5% Merlot and 1.5% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Reserved nose but plenty of depth. Generous fruit on the palate, complemented by a firm but fine tannic frame. Reasonable persistence. (JL)

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.

Inkier and more luscious in texture than Ségla, this has rich layers to its aromatic palate, showing rhubarb, savoury cassis and blueberry, peony, rose petals, soot, gunsmoke, graphite, flint, weight and texture, spiralling upwards. Wonderful expression of a wine that seems supremely Margaux and supremely Rauzan Ségla. 50% new oak.

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.