98pts Jeb Dunnuck

I underrated the 2015 Rauzan-Ségla on release. It’s a big, rich, incredibly sexy wine that’s certainly in the same ballpark as the 2016 (and 2018). Full-bodied, ripe, and concentrated, it has a wonderfully expansive, layered texture as well as an incredible sense of balance. Lots of cassis, leafy herbs, flowery incense, and tobacco notes all emerge from this beauty, which offers sweet tannins as well as a huge finish. This is magical stuff that’s going to keep for three decades or more.

97pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Rauzan-Ségla offers up an expressive nose of baked blackberries, kirsch, warm cassis and baked plums with hints of cigar box and tilled soil. Full-bodied, rich and expansive in the mouth, it has layer upon layer of bold red and black fruit preserves with earthy accents and a velvety texture, finishing long and lively. The blend this year is 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, harvested between September 10th and October 9th, at an average yield of 40 hectoliters per hectare. It was aged for 18 months in French oak, 65% new. The alcohol is 14%.

97pts James Suckling

Extremely aromatic with dried flowers, perfumed and sandalwood and blackcurrants. Full body, ultra-fine tannins, a gorgeous core of ripe fruit and blackcurrants and blueberries. Racy and very long. So impressive. This needs four or five years to come around but already so fine.

96pts Wine Enthusiast

Structure is the watchword for this wine. With dark tannins and concentration, it obviously has long-term potential. At the same time, the black-currant fruits are ripe and full bodied, giving rich contrast to the tannins. These two elements will allow this wine to age. It will be ready to drink from 2025.

96pts Decanter

Dating back to 1661, Rauzan-Segla had under-performed for many years prior to its purchase in 1994 by Chanel owners, the Wertheimer family. With significant investment, the estate has regained its former glory. Highly successful in 2015, this is refined, elegant and precise with a bright red/black fruit character and lovely freshness on the palate. It will benefit from a few more years in bottle but undoubtedly has star-quality.

95pts Wine Spectator

This takes a very fresh approach, with a seemingly open-knit feel to the mix of mulled raspberry and red currant fruit. Pretty lilac, incense and singed apple wood notes underscore the fruit, while silky but persistent tannins carry the finish. Delivers latent depth and precise balance, so don’t let this early charm fool you, as this should unfurl beautifully in the cellar. Best from 2022 through 2040.

Winemaker Notes

Looking, smelling and tasting a glass of Rauzan-Segla wine is an invitation to a journey like no other. An adventure that is full of unique and delicious experiences that characterise the fine wines from Bordeaux. This journey of pleasure begins on the eye. The beauty of a color so intense that is impossible to take one's eyes off of it. A color that draws us in and makes us want to discover its secrets. The pleasure of its luxurious aromas disclosing cigar box notes which combine harmoniously with aromas of ripe fruits. Like a protective cocoon promising the ultimate in epicurean pleasures. The first sip coats the palate seductively with a combination of finesse, elegance and unparalleled charm. The wine's smooth, complex texture will make you want to linger over the tasting experience. To taste a glass of Rauzan-Segla is to savor its fruity freshness and let yourself be transported by its silky smooth texture, the result of over 3 centuries of winemaking expertise. It is to get lost in the eternal pleasures of tasting a fine Bordeaux, safe in the knowledge that it will reveal all its magnificent power over the years to come.

Winery Notes

The wines here have delighted many well-know figures, most famously Thomas Jefferson who came across this wine during his visit to the vineyards of Bordeaux, placing an order for several cases of it. He thus became a fervent admirer or Rauzan-Segla wines. Some decades later, the 1855 Classification ranked Chateau Rauzan-Segla as a Second Growth.

The current chateau was built in 1903, designed by architect Louis Garros, who drew inspiriation from the original Perigord-style buildings in the the chateau, as well as G. LeBreton who designed the park and green spaces. Then time went by and the chateau gradually fell into a slumber.