Tasting Notes
Neal Martin 94
The 2009 Rauzan-Segla has a very fine bouquet with tightly packed blackberry and wild strawberry fruit, melted tar and pencil shavings, leaning a little towards Saint-Julien in style (like the Giscours.) The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, gorgeous red berry fruit laced with all spice and cumin, gently fanning out towards the grippy but precise finish that is pure class. This is the best bottle that I have encountered, though the less said about the late Karl Lagerfeld’s designed label the better! Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits Ten Year On tasting.
Anticipated maturity: 2021-2040
Stephen Tanzer 91+
Bright red-ruby. Lively aromas and flavors of boysenberry, violet, chocolate and spicy oak. Juicy, sweet and elegant, with sound acidity and a firm spine of tannins keeping the wine’s fruit under wraps now. Not an opulent style for the vintage; in fact, this solidly structured Margaux is tough going today. Finishes chewy and chocolatey, with noteworthy persistence. I’d cellar this for at least seven or eight years; it should enjoy a slow evolution in bottle.
Vinous 90-93
(a 58/42 blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot; 13.9% alcohol) Ruby red. Perfumed aromas of currant, spices and flowers show an intriguing candied quality. Light and lively on the palate, with suave, peppery dark berry and mineral flavors lifted by a spicy element on the back. Finishes long and pure, with noteworthy inner-mouth energy and fragrance. This wine’s very polished tannins make it deceptively delicious to taste today, like so many 2009s.
Wine Advocate 94
Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Rauzan-Segla bursts from the glass with bold, vivacious Black Forest cake, blackberry pie and warm blueberry scents plus nuances of cardamom, candied violets, smoked meats and Chinese five spice with a waft of dusty soil. Full-bodied, rich, plush and decadent, it completely coats the palate with densely packed preserved black berries layers, finishing very long and spicy. The blend this year is 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Merlot, harvested between September 22nd and October 11th, at an average yield of 41 hectoliters per hectare. It was aged for 18 months in French oak, 50% new. The alcohol is 14%, and the pH is 3.69.
Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035
JancisRobinson.com 17/20
Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Smudgy rim. Light intensity on the nose but pretty sweet and ripe. Very sweet on the palate. Fleshy black cherries. Could do with a little more discipline. Messy, scrawny finish.
Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030
