Château Rauzan-Ségla 2011

Superb Rauzan Ségla, one of the finest of our career, solidly built, dense and full, but without hardness: top buy.

The grand vin, the 2011 Rauzan Segla, is a beauty. Aromas of spring flowers, graphite, crème de cassis and kirsch jump from the glass of this dense purple-colored 2011. Lots of nobility, complexity and richness characterize a wine that could be mistaken for a first-growth in 2011. This medium- to full-bodied, concentrated, gorgeously pure, well-balanced beauty should be forgotten for 2–4 years and drunk over the following 15–20. Kudos to administrator John Kolasa and his team.

Lush and frankly ripe, with alluring plum sauce, fig paste and currant confiture flavors, layered with dark cocoa and black tea notes. The long, velvety finish has some serious latent grip. An impressive effort for the vintage. Best from 2017 through 2028. 6,665 cases made.

Silky and well balanced, it stands out for its quality. One of the few to have the tannic hold that truly embraces the fruit, with touches of grilled almond and cassis bud. This is pretty serious, but there is concentration and plenty of potential ahead of it. 70% new oak, 42% of overall production. Harvest September 8 to 28.

A wine with beautiful aromas and flavors of dark fruits, minerals, and dried flowers. Full-bodied, with integrated tannins and a fresh finish. A bit chewy but it will soften with age. Better in 2017.

The 2011 Rauzan-Ségla has a ripe, fleshy bouquet of red plum, hoisin and sandalwood, quite showy and forward, ready to give sensory pleasure now, not tomorrow. The palate is beautifully balanced, fresh and saline with fine-grained tannins. Linear, yet there is a tension here that is missing in some of the other 2011 Margaux wines. Persistent on the finish – this is excellent. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.

This would be a nice wine in any vintage, but it's a true accomplishment in 2011. Truffle, earth, plums, black cherry and spice aromas come to the surface with ease. The fruit is bright, with good freshness and balance, finishing with sweet, ripe berries. The wine demands at least 5 years in the cellar before showing what it has to offer.

Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, broad watery rim. Candied oranges, blackberry confit, some nougat, a hint of marzipan underneath. Powerful, black berries, somewhat cheeky tannins, very salty nuances on the finish, appears somewhat rough and unapproachable, completely humourless at the moment, still needs some time.

The 2011 Rauzan-Ségla is more red-fruited and spice-driven, with complex tobacco, dried earth, flowers, and cedar notes in the background. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant on the palate, it has the firm edge to its tannins that’s common in the vintage, yet it has more than enough sweet fruit as well as impressive mid-palate depth and a great finish. A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, it’s another rich yet elegant wine from this estate that will continue offering ample pleasure for another two decades or more.

Seductive and dancing, with morello cherries, Brazilian tobacco and sandalwood, backed by dark chocolate truffles. On the palate, compact with a supporting tannic framework, turning finely austere, with a sandy texture. In the focused finish, red-berry contours and walnut shells, ending with a floury astringency. Rounded off.

Deep purple, dense at the core, with garnet glints at the rim. Dark berries, fine and delicate on the attack, more noble than forceful. Silky palate, very good balance, convincingly ripe tannins, showing a noble dark-chocolate bitterness in the extract, long finish. This is going places! Tasted three times and impressed each time. And that’s rarely the case at the very beginning for a barrel sample from this estate.

Powerful, deep, mineral bouquet, blue and black berries, tobacco, currants. Balanced, elegant, dense palate with intense fruit, plenty of fine tannins, robust, spicy aromatics, a tightly woven structure, and a very long, full finish. Still has room to improve. 18/20 2019 - 2038

Austere and a little closed right now, this is not hugely generous at first but opens to show silky tannins, with elegance and balance. Puts the focus squarely on mint leaf and eucalyptus, along with slate and cassis. Ready to drink, although no rush and will soften further over the next few years. First vintage with François Baudoux as Chef de Culture, John Kolasa director. 28 hl/ha, pH 3.33, 70% new oak, harvest September 8 to 28.

A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2011 Rauzan-Segla has a deep garnet color, with a touch of brick. It jumps from the glass with evolved fruit notes of plum preserves, raisin cake, and dried leaves, while soft-spoken scents of dried roses, new leather, and tree bark emerge in the background. The medium-bodied palate has a sturdy chewiness to the texture, with a lively backbone and delicate dried berry and earthy flavors, finishing a tad firm.

The colour is dark and the aromas are barely expressive. The palate is dense, tight, tannic; the merlot is beginning to open up with coffee notes, and the finish is superb. 62% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot, 2% petit verdot.

Rauzan Ségla shines with its intensity and aromatic complexity. Cabernet Sauvignon brings fruit, freshness, and plenty of energy! This 2nd Cru Classé from Margaux has the great merit of reminding us how brilliant 2011 can be and how much this vintage was mistreated by the media press (I add “

Logo on the cork: TB in a circle Dark, intense color, slightly evolved. Fruity nose, but also animal. Soft, fruity, and light palate. Surprising for the cru.