2018 Château Rauzan-Gassies
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Tasting notes
Tasted blind. Sweet palate entry and then some green tannins. Sudden finish. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Tom Parker MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Rauzan Gassies has improved on the nose since I tasted it from barrel, losing some of its earthiness/greenness, light floral scents percolating through the black fruit. So far, so good. The palate is medium-bodied with hard tannins on the entry, and here there is a bit of herbaceousness. The finish feels bitter and stiff compared to its peers. I take no joy in writing that this is disappointing after the promising aromatics.
74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot. Mid-deep ruby. A little herbal on the nose with blackcurrant leaf. Fresh, leafy fruit that is a little dilute on the palate. Very bright in acid and crunchy in tannin, but the perception is a little hollow. (TP)
The 2018 Rauzan Gassies has a reserved, earthy, mulch-y bouquet that is very atypical for the vintage, though it seems well defined and fresh. The palate is medium-bodied and chewy, with dry tannins and some attenuation toward the finish. I wish I could find a Rauzan Gassies that delivers in the same way that vintages from the 1950s did, and maybe my expectations were raised by a growing season that might have countered the lightness of this Margaux. It just does not deliver.
About the producer
The Quié family purchased Pauillac Fifth Growth Ch. Croizet-Bages in 1942, adding Rauzan-Gassies four years later. Once part of the same estate as the neighbouring Rauzan-Ségla, this Margaux property was split off in time for the 1855 Classification, earning Second Growth status.