2014 Château Rauzan-Gassies, Margaux, Bordeaux

2014 Château Rauzan-Gassies, Margaux, Bordeaux

Product: 20148123435
 
2014 Château Rauzan-Gassies, Margaux, Bordeaux

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Description

The Château Rauzan Gassies 2014 has a modest nose, a little conservative at first with forward sous-bois and tobacco aromas, those dusky black fruit emerging with aeration but never quite getting out of second gear. The palate is actually better than the aromatics with well-judged acidity and a harmonious, quite elegant mid-palate. It finished with commendable precision, though it does not possess the sustain of some of the top performing Margaux '14s. Still, this is a decent Rauzan Gassies that should drink well for a dozen or so years, possibly longer.
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate - eRobertParker.com #218 Apr 2015

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Critics reviews

Wine Advocate87-89/100
The Château Rauzan Gassies 2014 has a modest nose, a little conservative at first with forward sous-bois and tobacco aromas, those dusky black fruit emerging with aeration but never quite getting out of second gear. The palate is actually better than the aromatics with well-judged acidity and a harmonious, quite elegant mid-palate. It finished with commendable precision, though it does not possess the sustain of some of the top performing Margaux '14s. Still, this is a decent Rauzan Gassies that should drink well for a dozen or so years, possibly longer.
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate - eRobertParker.com #218 Apr 2015 Read more
Decanter17/20
Fine fragrant cassis nose and good concentration of fruit on the palate. The finish is a bit green but the Margaux quality is there with sophistication to come. Read more

About this WINE

Chateau Rauzan-Gassies

Chateau Rauzan-Gassies

Owned by J-M Quié, this 28 ha property produces on average 12,500 cases per year. Located in the centre of the Margaux appellation, Château Rauzan Gassies shares a similar climate to that enjoyed by the Médoc: maritime, with the Gironde estuary & the Bay of Biscay combining to act as a climate regulator & the coastal pine forests sheltering the vines from the westerly & north-westerly winds. The vineyards (Cabernet Sauvignon 65%; Merlot 20%; Cabernet Franc 15%) lie on a sparse gravel plateau. Vinification includes approximately 18 months' wood ageing, 25% new oak. It is classified as a '2ème Cru Classé'.

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Margaux

Margaux

If Pauillac can be seen as the bastion of ‘traditional’ Red Bordeaux, then Margaux represents its other facet in producing wines that are among Bordeaux’s most sensual and alluring. It is the largest commune in the Médoc, encompassing the communes of Cantenac, Soussans, Arsac and Labaude, in addition to Margaux itself. Located in the centre of the Haut-Médoc, Margaux is the closest of the important communes to the city of Bordeaux.

The soils in Margaux are the lightest and most gravelly of the Médoc, with some also containing a high percentage of sand. Vineyards located in Cantenac and Margaux make up the core of the appelation with the best vineyard sites being located on well-drained slopes, whose lighter soils give Margaux its deft touch and silky perfumes. Further away from the water, there is a greater clay content and the wines are less dramatically perfumed.

Margaux is the most diffuse of all the Médoc appelations with a reputation for scaling the heights with irreproachable wines such as Ch. Margaux and Ch. Palmer, but also plumbing the depths, with too many other châteaux not fulfilling their potential. There has been an upward shift in recent years, but the appellation cannot yet boast the reliability of St Julien. However, the finest Margaux are exquisitely perfumed and models of refinement and subtlety which have few parallels in Bordeaux.

Recommended Châteaux: Ch. Margaux, Ch. Palmer, Ch. Brane-Cantenac, Ch. Rauzan-Ségla , Ch. Dufort-Vivens, Ch. Ferrière, Ch. du Tertre, Ch. Giscours, Ch. d'Angludet.

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Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.

In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and  Australia.

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