Château Rauzan-Ségla 2020

Subtle maturation notes; silky attack, slim yet dense development, well-balanced sweet component, long, delicately fruity finish with notes of fresh raspberry; stylish and excellently made.

Shows nice range and texture, with a mix of plum, black currant and black cherry preserves carried by a very silky structure, while black tea, alder and sweet tobacco fill in through the finish. Approachable for its caressing edge, but there's no rush. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2036.

Juicy and lively fragrance on the nose – so perfumed and alluring. Delicate and pure on the palate, crystalline yet with such intensity. A rush of creamy tangy strawberries, herbal-edged raspberries and plum fruit lined with salty minerality gives the nuance and detail. It’s lightly framed with well integrated tannins that are fine and firm, tense just giving some tightness on the mid-palate, a sense of compactness, but then it opens again towards the finish. Cool and ethereal, this exudes charm and confidence. Extremely well made and totally seductive. I love the juiciness and sense of joyfulness, but it’s also beguiling as it deepens and grows in layers of chalk, slate, bramble fruits, perfume and florality. Another excellent wine from Rauzan with delicacy, detail and drinkability. Stunning.

A very polished red with blackberry, black olive, walnut, and crushed stone aromas that follow through to a medium to full body with polished, velvety tannins that go on for minutes. Surprisingly open and so attractive. Wonderful length to this. Needs four to five years to open. Best after 2026.

The 2020 Rauzan-Ségla is a huge, explosive wine. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, licorice, smoke and incense are some of the many notes that infuse the 2020 with tremendous richness. With élevage, the 2020 has grown into a huge, brooding wine endowed with notable presence. There's great purity and class here. The 2020 is a powerful, brooding Rauzan-Ségla for readers who can be patient. Very patient. Tasted two times.

The complex perfume stands out with its array of flowers, cinnamon, currants, cherries, cigar box, and a touch of tobacco. The wine is full-bodied, deep, sensuous, silky and yes, sexy, finishing with a wealth of expansive fruit, espresso and dark cocoa that holds our focus for over 50 seconds. Drink from 2027–2060.

Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, subtle rim brightening. Fresh plums, cherries, hints of precious wood and vanilla, inviting bouquet. Medium-bodied, ripe red cherry fruit, freshly structured, ripe tannins, lightly saline on the finish, delicate, zippy and already well-developed, a multi-faceted food wine with certain ageing potential. (2025-2045).

The 2020 Château Rauzan-Ségla is pure Margaux brilliance, and this beautifully elegant wine embodies the best of the vintage. Revealing a deep ruby/purple hue as well as a great bouquet of blackcurrants, black cherries, lead pencil, sandalwood, smoked tobacco, and hints of incense, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and a great finish. It offers pleasure today (although it closes down with extended air) but deserves 5–7 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30 years or more. This is clearly in the same league as the 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. Tasted on multiple occasions with consistent results.

Densely woven bouquet with blueberry contours, delicate violet perfume and nougat praline. On the sublime palate, silky texture, dancing verve, supported by a ripe tannin framework; a perfectly shaped body. In the focused, finely aromatic finish, the Margaux catapults to the fore and ends in a fireworks display of ripe blackberries, noble cassis spice, graphite and exalted astringency. WOW! Drinking window pushed back. Buy recommendation for this top performer.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: deep, dense, mineral bouquet, blueberries, cherries, grains, tobacco, nougat. Silky, elegant, refined palate with fresh fruit, plenty of fine tannins, dense structure, varied aromatics, long, aromatic finish.

Deep, dense, mineral bouquet with blueberries, cherries, grains, tobacco and nougat. Silky, elegant, refined palate with fresh fruit, plenty of fine tannins, dense structure, diverse aromatics and a long, aromatic finish. 18/20 2028 - 2045

Edge of smoked and salted caramel, along with blackberry, cassis, bilberry, liquorice root, incense, giving depth and character. Elegant, satiny tannins, very much an architecture that makes you stop and appreciate the craftsmanship that has put it all together. Second time tasting this freshly released vintage in recent weeks, and it's one to savour. 3.74, 60% new oak, harvest September 8 to 29. Nicolas Audbert director, Eric Boissenot consultant.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Rauzan-Segla has a deep garnet-purple color. It charges out of the gate with energetic notes of fresh blackberries, cassis, and black cherries, leading to hints of clove oil, violets, and underbrush. The medium-bodied palate has a plush, fine-grained texture and seamless freshness supporting the classically styled flavors, finishing long and perfumed.

89-90

Another admirable success for this vintage at the height of refinement. The palate rings perfectly true, harmonious and coherent, with vibrant fruit notes and very well-integrated, silky tannins. All this without lacking power or volume.

A floral nose that remains restrained, yet with a hypnotic depth of aromas—layers of iris, dark fruits, meat drippings and mint. On the palate, a fine, firm, velvety touch, with tannins that unfurl deliciously across the mouth, caressing, all granular finesse through to a long finish…

With its precision and exceptional definition, Rauzan-Ségla reinforces its status among the Margaux elite. What a great wine, with depth and subtlety, where everything is addressed with finesse. It manages to be broad and streamlined, gentle and vibrant, inviting yet demanding. Every element has a clearly defined role. The freshness of garrigue herbs, the fruity intensity of raspberries and cherries, then tannins of rare precision, complemented by a juicy structure and a fine bitterness that amplifies the aromatic intensity and the persistence of the finish. Everything comes together to highlight the greatness of this wine.

The nose is fruity and shows elegance, with a well-judged sense of concentration and finesse, freshness, a gentle intensity (in a refined style), depth, harmony, and a finely tight-knit texture. It reveals notes of bright cherry, bright blackberry and, more lightly, vibrant small black fruits, alongside touches of lily, racy minerality, Sichuan pepper and sweet spices, plus hints of violet, liquorice, subtle touches of saffron and an almost imperceptible hint of camphor. The palate is fruity and offers minerality and freshness, good definition, roundness, a lovely racy minerality, an airy feel, delicacy, a certain creaminess, as well as a fine, slightly firm texture. On the palate, the wine expresses notes of plump/fresh blackberry, plump/fresh raspberry and, more lightly, fresh/juicy small red berries, with touches of liquorice, violet, cherry blossom/cherry pit, hints of cardamom and nutmeg, and an almost imperceptible touch of cinnamon, blond tobacco and sweet spices. The tannins are racy and mellow. A wine of great delicacy, freshness and roundness.

A lovely freshness emerges on the first nose, marked by real drive despite its obvious maturity. Beautifully crafted palate feel—silky, flavorful, and precise—anchored in a superb array of blackcurrant, violet, and eucalyptus. Notes of kirsch on the finish.

This wine has a fine structure, with dense tannins from the Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. It is a full wine, the spicy character mingling with black currant flavors. The wine has an excellent future. Drink from 2027.