2017 Rauzan Segla
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Tasting notes
A little less concentrated than the vintages on either side, with sculpted black fruits and floral character, red pepper spice, black truffles, grilled damson and smoked earth. Enjoyable, well balanced. Plenty of estate signature, but no need to wait as long as the more exuberant years. 40hl/h yield, 60% new oak, harvest September 12 to October 2. Nicolas Audbert director, Eric Boissenot consultant.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Fleshy red fruits after some coaxing – it is tightly wound at this stage. The palate reveals greater potential but focuses on brighter, red fruit for now. There is a creaminess to the texture despite the firm, fine tannins. This is a tight knot which is hard to read at this stage but the depth and length of finish suggest good potential. (TP)
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Rauzan-Ségla leaps from the glass with fragrant exotic spices and dried herbs over a core of blackberries, warm cassis and redcurrant jelly with hints of lavender and crushed stones. Medium-bodied, fine, fresh and elegant, it has soft, fine-grained tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing with an herbal lift. The blend this year is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, harvested between September 12th and October 2nd at an average yield of 40 hectoliters per hectare. It was aged for 18 months in French oak, 60% new. The alcohol is 13.2%, and the pH is 3.68.
The 2017 Rauzan-Ségla is coming together very nicely. Soft and silky, the 2017 is a wine of pure and total finesse. Sweet red cherry and plum fruit, tobacco, cedar and licorice add pretty top notes, but more than anything else, the 2017 impresses with its statuesque elegance and total balance; nothing in particular stands out. For that reason, Rauzan-Ségla is the sort of wine that is easy to overlook, and yet all the elements of a top notch Left-Bank wine are present. Tasted three times.
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.