Winemaker Notes
An elegant and fragrant bouquet, lots of taste on the palate, a well balanced structure and a very great elegance.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A classic, serious wine, the 2000 Château Rauzan-Ségla sports a medium ruby/garnet hue with a kiss of amber as well as gorgeous notes of currants, smoky tobacco, graphite, cedary herbs, and assorted red and black fruits on the nose. Based on 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot and aged 18 months in 60% new French oak, it's medium-bodied on the palate, with a focused, layered mouthfeel, ample tannins, and a great finish. It's another classy, serious 2000 that has another two decades or more of prime drinking ahead of it.
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Wine Enthusiast
At first taste, this wine seems more new world than Bordeaux. But then the subtle, perfumed aromas and structured fruit show through, along with the clean acidity and black tannic fruits. Give this wine at least 12 years before opening.
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Wine & Spirits
No tasting note.
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James Suckling
This is just starting to open up on the nose with tobacco, plums and currants throughout. Full-bodied, with lots of tobacco and chocolate that turns to notes of coffee and fruit on the finish. The palate is just starting to come around. Why should you wait on this? The winemaker says that it will be better after 2012. Rich and slightly austere still at the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep brick in color, the 2000 Rauzan-Ségla gives a mature nose of sandalwood, sweaty leather, cinnamon stick and star anise with wafts of raisin cake, dried cherries and preserved plums. Medium-bodied with a chewy texture and a good amount of remaining dried berries and savory layers, it finishes just a little rustic. The blend this year is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, harvested between September 22 and October 6 at an average yield of 37 hectoliters per hectare. It was aged for 18 months in French oak, 60% new. The alcohol is 13%.
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Wine Spectator
This is a bit grainy in feel, with ample cedar- and juniper-lined tannins carrying a mix of red and black currant, bay leaf and black tea flavors along before a tangy sanguine note captures the finish. Has character and charm, if a bit outpaced by the pack in general.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.