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Rauzan Ségla 2010

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Margaux
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Rauzan-Segla

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Tasting Notes

To reiterate, the 2010 Rauzan Segla is like a super-duper version of the 1986. Displaying fabulous density, an inky purple color and a superb nose of forest floor with a hint of menthol as well as loads of creme de cassis, mocha and touches of chocolate and subtle oak, this full-bodied, deep, concentrated wine represents only 45% of the estate's production. It is certainly not for those who can't wait a few years for it to round into shape, as I suspect it needs at least 5-8 years of bottle-age, but it should last for half a century or more. A stunning wine from Rauzan Segla, kudos go to administrator John Kolasa for turning out this profound wine, which should prove to be a timeless classic from the appellation of Margaux.

95+
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (205), March 2013

The 2010 Rauzan-Ségla is simply one of the finest releases in recent years. It has a heavenly bouquet with wild strawberry, subtle floral notes and great precision. The palate is nothing powerful, less flamboyant than the 2010 Palmer, yet endowed with incredible precision and length. All you could really want from a Margaux. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal. 2024 - 2060

95
Neal Martin, vinous.com, April 2020

Beautiful clarity of fruit with raspberries and currants on the nose. Roses and other flowers too. It's almost hard to describe, but there's a real purity. Full body, with fabulous balance and depth. It has everything in the right place. Best ever? Try it in 2018.

98
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2013

Deep garnet colored, the 2010 Rauzan-Ségla comes prancing out of the glass with gregarious notes of baked black cherries, mulberries and blackcurrant pastilles plus hints of star anise, cigar box, fragrant soil and lavender. Full-bodied, the palate has wonderfully ripe, velvety tannins supporting the generous, multi-layered fruit, finishing very long and beautifully perfumed. 2020 - 2050

95
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (March 2020), March 2020

Inky depths of colour and fruit on the nose, a wine to pause over and then dive into. What a brilliant example of the vintage that is just revving up to showcase slate, liqourice, crayon, cassis, grilled earth. Supremely Left Bank, supremely impressive. 60% new oak, 37hl/h yield, harvest September 23 to October 19. John Kolasa director.

96
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, March 2023

Light but subtle and intriguing nose. Sweet start and delightfully fresh after that. An energetic Margaux. Definitely not from further north in the Médoc. Well constituted. Good for now and for a long life with admirable drive. 14%
Drink 2018 – 2042

17.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, March 2020

Tasted Blind at the Southwold Group Ten Years On Tasting. This was the joint highest scoring Margaux, together with Château Margaux itself.

Deep ruby red and very youthful in appearance still. A little reticent initially, but with air and coaxing from the glass there are a myriad of subtle red and black fruits interlaced with sweet spices. With more time in the glass it becomes positively aromatic, bursting with blueberry and violet - which is highly promising for the future. The palate is supremely refined, the mouthcoating tannins providing ample structure without dominating the fruit. Their ripe and fine nature gives a spherical, silky texture like rich milk chocolate, complementing the roasted coffee and dark bramble fruit at the core. Harmonious in every regard, the sweetness of fruit, freshness of acid and immaculate structure drive through to the finish, leaving an intense, moreish and lingering profile of cherry blossom, cassis and mocha. A stunning Rauzan-Ségla that will reward patience in the cellar over the next decade before a long, open drinking window

97
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, February 2020

Flashy style of Margaux, with alluring warm cocoa and black tea aromatics followed by cashmere-textured plum sauce, steeped fig and blackberry confiture notes. The well-integrated structure makes this seem almost accessible now, but the ample length and a smoldering tobacco note make a case for cellaring. Best from 2014 through 2030. 9,666 cases made.

94
James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com, March 2013

The nose is packed out with ripe fruit lovely and lush. Black fruits intermingle with red on the palate all feeling ripe giving fleshy power in the middle and sweetness towards the back. The layers of fruit give complexity with lots of rich fruit packing out the back palate.

90/94
Derek Smedley MW, April 2011
94
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2011

Deep expression of complex Cabernet fruit and fine aromatic lift of wild violets, the ripeness backed by perfect tannis, all in depth and harmony, a very exciting wine with a great future. Drink 2020-45.

18.5
Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com, April 2011

One of the top Margaux wines, this is in top form, finely balanced and as elegant as it is powerful. It is darkly structured, dense yet balancing tannins with ripe black plums. It expresses the complexity of the vintage. A wine for serious, long-term aging.

96
Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, February 2013
Read more tasting notes...

Only 45% of the crop made it into the 2010 Rauzan-Segla, which is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This wine has an average pH of 3.6, but at 13.9%, the alcohol is the highest ever measured. The tannin levels in this wine suggest the great 1986 Rauzan-Segla, while the personality of the wine comes close to mirroring the 2005. Dense purple, with hints of menthol, blueberry, black currant and sweet, earthy notes, the wine is full-bodied and displays terrific purity, texture, and overall precision. The tannin levels are high, but the wine balances them out with its impressive level of concentration. This wine will probably need 5-10 years of cellaring when released and drink well for 30 or more years, given the fact that the 1986, at age 25, is still an adolescent.

92/94
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (194), May 2011

The 2010 Rauzan-Ségla is extraordinary deep, almost opaque in colour compared to the other vintages at this vertical. It was picked from September 23 to October 7. The bouquet is incredibly intense: potent blackberry and boysenberry fruit, a little richer than I recall, perhaps borrowing some of the luxuriance of the 2009 Rauzan-Ségla. With time, there are touches of pencil lead that become more conspicuous. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin and a fine line of acidity. This is the most masculine Rauzan-Ségla in recent years, a little drier and more serious. The palate is very closed at the moment, a Margaux with a large sign declaring that it is unwise to approach for another few years. Brooding and introspective, you can admire its balance and breeding, though it does not go out of its way to give pleasure at the moment, so I would recommend the previous vintage for that. Outstanding, but don’t touch for now. Tasted at the Rauzan-Ségla vertical at the château. Drink 2022-2055.

95
Neal Martin, vinous.com, April 2019

Tasted at the château, the Rauzan Segla has a delightful bouquet, tight at first but opening in the glass, offering gorgeous blackberry, cassis, violet and dark plum scents that are beautifully defined and are quintessential Margaux. The palate is very representative of how the wines showed in barrel. Svelte tannins, pitch perfect acidity, caressing texture, plenty of ripe black fruit infused with immense minerality. This is a magnificent Margaux, certainly one of the greatest Rauzan Segla's to date...even if it does lack a crayon drawing on the label. Tasted November 2012.

96
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, February 2013

Cropped over four weeks instead of three because of the uneven flowering of the Merlot, the Rauza-Segla delivers 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.6, a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot 3.5% Petit Verdot and 1.5% Cabernet Franc. Tasted three times, it has a very "strict", tightly wound bouquet. It takes time to open up, with faint notes of shellfish inflecting the very fresh blackberry and graphite fruit. The palate is very well balanced with saturated tannins, vibrant acidity, that Cabernet Sauvignon (yet again) imparting graphite and mineralité into the wine. Quite linear towards the finish, long in the mouth. A great wine...though I suspect that the 2009 may turn out to be the pick of the two. Tasted April 2011.

92/94
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2011

What a wonderful wine with flower, currant and hints of minerals and wet earth with some smoke. Full bodied, with chewy and creamy tannins. The texture is incredibly long with notes of citrus, dark fruits, and ripe raspberries. Super distinguished style

97/98
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2011

Exceptional wine, tasted a few times this year. I almost chose the 2005, another vintage of Rauzan Ségla that has delivered at the top of expections over the year, but where the 2005 is a little more old school in feel, the 2010 really sums up the progress at this property over the past decade or so. Today Rauzan Ségla sits right at the top of the Margaux appellation, and this shows you why - silky, deftly-finessed tannins that are confident but yield to the blackberry and damson fruits.

96
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, November 2021

Very sweet, purple-fruited notes on the nose. Sweet and simple and open with some minerality. Dry finish. There is lots to love here! Cool finish. 2022 - 2035

17.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2011

Now comfortably established in the super-second league. Huge efforts are being made by owners Chanel to make great wine at Rauzan, with production of the first wine only around half of the total harvest and the rest used for their excellent second wine - Ségla. Scotsman John Kolasa, formerly of Château Latour, is in charge here. In our view this 2nd growth is consistently the top wine of the appellation after Palmer and Chateau Margaux itself. The frequent winner of Margaux appellation blind tastings in recent vintages. Made from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot. 60% new oak. Only 45% of the total crop was selected with 55% going into Segla again. This has a fantastic rich texture and a wonderfully opulent, succulent juiciness whilst being controlled by impeccable balance. Polished and complete with layers of exotic fruit. Wonderfully focussed and great length with an enduring cassis finish. The most intense Rauzan Segla that John Kolasa has made and the best too. This is probably the finest wine made at this estate since the legendary 1986. A fantastic achievement. Bravo John!

97
Farr Vintners, April 2011
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.