2014 Château Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux, Bordeaux
Critics reviews
Hold +1 year or carafe for 2 hours.
An excellent 2014, a little austere right now, showcasing that understated Cabernet Sauvignon character of a young classified Left Bank. The cassis and blueberry fruits have plenty of depth, with sleek cocoa bean and liquorice stretching out through the palate. 60% new oak, 37hl/h yield, harvest September 22 to October 16. Last year with John Kolasa as director.
Drink 2024 - 2044
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com (January 2023)
Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting.
The 2014 Rauzan-Segla has a fragrant nose with red berry fruit, cedar, mint and a dab of dark chocolate. Fairly backward at first, it opens nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins. It is a bit rustic in style, but there is satisfying depth and fruit concentration. Blackberry mixes with white pepper and bay leaf toward the finish. The château in question comes across as a bit assertive in style, but it pulls it off. It is not bad, though it's surpassed by almost every subsequent vintage.
Drink 2024 - 2036
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (February 2024)
Tasted blind
Dark and youthful colour. Intense, rich aroma of dark fruits and the first signs of leafy undergrowth. The tannins are still prominent, but there’s deep, dark fruit here. It’s not generous but sufficient for a refined, complete wine with good ageing potential.
Drink 2026 - 2034
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com (February 2024)
This year's blend is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, harvested between September 22nd and October 16th, at an average yield of 37 hectoliters per hectare. It was aged for 18 months in French oak, 60% new. The alcohol is 13.5%, and the pH is 3.59.
The deep garnet-coloured 2014 Rauzan-Ségla reveals an open-knit, expressive nose of potpourri, unsmoked cigars, spice box and red loam with a core of plum preserves, blackcurrant jelly and bay leaves plus a touch of garrigue. Medium to full-bodied with compelling earthy layers and a real savoriness in the mouth, it has firm, chunky tannins and bold freshness, finishing on a lingering mineral note.
Drink 2019 - 2039
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (April 2020)
Fantastic aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants and strawberries follow through to a full body, super-integrated tannins and an extremely long finish. The bright acidity gives the wine a linear edge, focusing on all the fruit. Minerally.
Drink in 2021
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (February 2017)
At first quite buzzy but the initial bright fruit settles very quickly revealing a mineral, chalkiness on the tongue and cheeks. Not powdery as such, but clearly mineral, graphite and liquorice and wet stones. Missing some more fruit density for sure on this. Tannins are nice, and this feels elegant, and it's certainly not hollow but it just loses the tang and flavour fades quite quickly.
Drink 2024 - 2040
Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com
The 2014 Rauzan-Ségla is another classic Margaux that shines for its elegance and complexity, the hallmarks of this beautiful estate. Ample black and blue fruits, cedarwood, and spice notes all emerge from the glass, followed by medium to full body, a beautiful texture, polished, sweet tannins, and a great finish. It’s unquestionably enjoyable today, but it will benefit from a handful of years in the cellar and keep for 20-25 years.
Drink 2021 - 2046
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (May 2019)
About this WINE
Chateau Rauzan-Segla
Château Rauzan-Ségla and Mouton Rothschild were considered the leading 2emé Cru Classé Bordeaux properties during the 19th century. However, while the fortunes of Mouton prospered in the 20th century, culminating in its elevation to 1er Cru status in 1973, Rauzan-Ségla`s reputation dwindled and a succession of disappointing wines were produced.
In the early 80s the Rauzan-Segla was sold and the renaissance began. The eminent Professor Peynaud was appointed as a consultant and the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend was increased, as was the proportion of new oak used in the maturation process. In 1986, a brand-new cuverie was built.
A succession of eye-catching wines were produced at Rauzan-Ségla in the mid to late 80s and early 1990s. Rauzan-Segla was bought by Chanel in 1994.
There are now 45 hectares of vineyards at Rauzan-Ségla and the grapes (63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc) are fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks. The wine is then matured in barriques (60% new) for 18 months.
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.
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.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc.
Just below Ch. Margaux and Ch. Palmer in the Margaux pecking order, this historic estate created a stylish wine in 2014. Darker fruits dominate, and the wine expresses a tension that suggests there is more to come in the future. Blackberries and a touch of cassis add real appeal. There is a generous core of velvety fruit, and the most appropriate descriptor for the entire tasting experience is ‘charming’. The nose has creamy notes, and it’s really open and expressive. The fruit is round, too, with an enticing spicy edge on the finish. It has good length and attractive, refreshing acidity that dances in the mouth.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
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