
Winery: Château Rauzan-Ségla
Country / Region: France / Bordeaux / Margaux
Date Winery was established: 1661
Grape Variety: Bordeaux Blend Red
Alcohol Content / Volume: 13.5% / 750ml
Year the vintage was first released: 1865
Ratings: 94 pts. Wine Advocate / 93 pts Wine Spectator / 92 pts Decanter
Decanting Time: Decant only for 30 minutes to less than 1 hour. Decant only to remove sediments (wines at this age and high quality will tend to have sediments form in the bottle. This is completely normal and a sign of the wine's age and quality. Another way to avoid sediments going in the glass is to rest the bottle vertically for at least 1 hour so that the sediments settle at the bottom and pour gently or pour using a fine strainer.). Serve at 16 - 18°C
Our suggestion for decanting time is based on bottles we tried at Txanton in 2024. We guarantee that Txanton stocks are imported and maintained in proper storage within the correct temperature and humidity suitable for wine.
Good To Know: The former owner of Chateau Latour and Chateau Margaux, Pierre Desmezures, initially founded Chateau Rauzan Segla under the name Domaine de Rauzan in 1661. It's name changed to Chateau Rauzan Segla after the property came into control of Catherine de Rauzan, the Baronnes of Segla, who then named the winery after herself. The chateau has been classified as a 2eme Grand Cru Classe and is widely known for being one of the best 2eme Grand Cru Classe chateaus, making age worthy, sensually complex and structured yet subtly more feminine styles of claret.
The 1995 Chateau Rauzan Segla is true gem from the estate. Much more robust and surprisingly masculine compared to its previous releases. Tertiary notes of fig compote and nuances of raisins first greet the nose on the initial sniff. The palate gives way to a soiree of red and black fruit with the addition of new oak driven notes of tobacco and espresso. Refined nuances of baking spice and hints of cacao reveal themselves towards the brilliantly long finish. Tannins have refined over time into a more satin like chewiness enveloped within the wine's full bodied, classic style.
In 1994, Chateau Rauzan Segla was purchased by fashion leader, Chanel, which also owns Chateau Canon in Bordeaux and St. Supery across the Atlantic, in Napa Valley, California. Since then, the quality and ratings of their wines have slowly but surely continued to improve as the change from aggressive machine harvesting moved towards careful and delicate plot by plot harvesting and sorting by hand. The use of high quality Sessile oak barrels was also widely promoted within the estate.