2004 Rauzan Segla
Buying options
Tasting notes
Deep garnet in color, the 2004 Rauzan-Ségla opens with slightly broody, muted notions of damp soil, scorched earth and charcoal with an emerging core of stewed plums, baked cherries and warm cassis plus hints of menthol, wild sage and dusty soil. Medium-bodied and elegantly style in the mouth, it has lovely freshness and an earthy core with well-played chewy tannins and a good, long finish. The blend this year is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, harvested between September 30 and October 16 at an average yield of 52 hectoliters per hectare. It was aged for 18 months in French oak, 50% new. The alcohol is 13%.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 2004 Rauzan-Ségla showed well, and this has always been an understated, elegant vintage for Bordeaux. Notes of dried tobacco, lead pencil, currants, and macerated cherries all give way to a medium-bodied, fresh, fully mature 2004 that has notable elegance and purity. Drink it any time over the coming decade.
The 2004 Rauzan-Ségla was picked September 30 to October 15. It has a deep garnet core with just the first signs of maturation on the rim. The nose is beginning to open up and welcome secondary aromas: hints of warm gravel and sandalwood infuse the black fruits that are very expressive considering the vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin. Like many 2004s, this Margaux cannot escape the feeling of conservatism that seems to be the leitmotif of this growing season. Yet it retains fine balance, fresh in the mouth with hints of brine and spice towards the structured, ever so slightly austere finish. Tasted at the Rauzan-Ségla vertical at the château.
About the producer
The Chanel group purchased Margaux Second Growth Ch. Rauzan-Ségla in 1994. Under the iconic fashion house’s ownership and – since 2014 – the guidance of winemaker Nicolas Audebert, the estate has seen significant investment and rapidly become one of Bordeaux’s most desirable.