This is a chocolate-inflected wine with a full mouth feel, and a very dark character. The palate is concentrated in tannins and a powerful, extracted feel. The aftertaste brings out more black-currant fruitiness.
Reviews:
- Jeb Dunnuck: The brilliant 2012 has ruby/purple color is followed by impressive notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, cedar, graphite, and some earthy, underbrush-like nuances. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and balanced, it builds with time in the glass and has plenty of tannins as well as length.
- Wine Enthusiast: This is a chocolate-inflected wine with a full mouth feel, and a very dark character. The palate is concentrated in tannins and a powerful, extracted feel. The aftertaste brings out more black-currant fruitiness.
Producer Information
Château Rauzan-Ségla is a second growth from Margaux, Bordeaux, as set out in the 1855 classification of Medoc and Graves. The wine of the same name is rich and concentrated, and is often considered one of the best of the second growths. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 62 percent of the 70-hectare (173-acre) vineyard, with Merlot at 36 percent and a small amount of both Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot making up the remainder. Soils are clay gravels on a Quaternary river terrace with areas of deeper fine gravel. The second wine, Ségla, is made in a more approachable style than the grand vin. It features a higher proportion of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Since 1994 and its acquisition by fashion giant Chanel, quality has improved at Rauzan-Ségla. Machine harvesting was eliminated, and there was a move to work the vineyards plot by plot. Grapes are sorted by hand and are aged in high-quality Sessile oak barrels. The grand vin spends 18 months in oak with 60 percent new wood.
