Chateau Rauzan-Segla

About the producer

Château Rauzan-Ségla was initially part of the neighbouring Rauzan-Gassies estate before separating under its own name in the mid 1700s. During the 1855 classification it was awarded Second Growth status and valued just behind Mouton Rothschild, so arguably today it sits at the top of the tree of Second Growths. Unfortunately the quality of the estate throughout the twentieth century has not always lived up to its classification. However, in the last decade, Rauzan-Ségla has returned to form, living up to its lofty reputation of old.

CHANEL purchased Château Rauzan-Ségla in 1994 and completely renovated both the winery, the Château and the vineyards. They also invested in a stellar winemaking team headed up by John Kolasa (previously of Château Latour, and also responsible for the vast improvements at Château Canon). The Château has never looked back and continues to go from strength to strength. Following John Kolasa's retirement in 2015, Nicolas Audebert previously under his mentorship, took the reigns as Technical Manager at the property. The philosophy of the Château under the new ownership is an investment in its experts and a "humility in the pursuit of ambitious goals, and a willingness to work today for the benefit of future generations tomorrow".

In The Vineyard

Château Rauzan-Ségla has 70 hectares under vine, planted in varying densities from 7,000 to 10,000 vines per hectate. One of the most important developments that has taken place at Rauzan-Ségla in the last 20 years is the replanting programme led by John Kolasa to increase vine density. The vines currently have an average age of 37 years. The soils consist of clay-gravel known as "Terrace 4 soils". This term refers to a soil structure that was formed in an ancient geological era, made up of the ideal combination of clay and gravel for even ripening of Bordeaux varietals. The gravel in the soil goes down a staggering six to eight metres. The Terrace 4 soil exists in parcels right through the Médoc and unsurprisingly exists where almost all of the top Châteaux on the Left Bank have the majority of their vineyards. It starts at the Cantenac plateau across to Brane-Cantenac, Margaux and then appears again in Saint-Julien around the vineyards of Léoville-Las Cases through to Pauillac, Pichon Lalande, Latour, Lafite, Mouton Rothschild all the way to Cos d’Estournel in Saint-Estèphe. The vineyard is planted to 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Typical yields for the estate are around 32 hectolitres per hectare.

In the winery

The grapes are harvested by hand in individual parcels and put into small crates so as to protect the grapes from damage prior to reaching the winery. The grapes are then manually sorted by hand followed by intra-plot vinification before being transferred into temperature controlled stainless steel vats using gravity. The wines are then matured in French oak barrels with a medium to medium-light toasting. The Grand Vin is typically aged in 65% new oak barriques. Ségla is the second wine of Château Rauzan-Ségla and has led the Bordeaux market in producing a consistently high quality second wine, particularly in a great vintage like 2005 and 2010. Ségla retains all the Margaux charm of its bigger brother whilst being remarkably accessible and incredibly well-priced.

About the producer