Winemaker Notes
The color shows depth and density. The fruit is precise: black cherry and fresh plum, lifted by a clearly defined floral note—violet and dark petals. Freshness runs through the frame, lighting up the texture and giving the wine its drive. Small berries have tightened the grain, bringing a fine, compact, almost satin-like feel. On the palate, it balances energy with calm. The tannins, silky yet lively, support a lingering floral profile, extended by a subtle mineral note. A Rauzan-Ségla with both balance and dimension: dense without heaviness, precise without austerity, true to its signature finesse.
Blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1.5% Petit Verdot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Cassis, assorted red and black fruits, spicy wood, tobacco, and graphite all emerge from the 2025 Château Rauzan-Ségla, a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1.5% Petit Verdot, and 0.5% Cabernet Franc that's being raised 18 months in 60% new French oak. It's concentrated on the palate, has a pure, layered mouthfeel, flawless balance, and a great finish. Checking in at 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.7, it's rockingly good and clearly up with the finest wines in the appellation, as well as the vintage.
Barrel Sample: 96-98 -
Decanter
Gorgeous vibrant pink rim to the wine with violet aromas on the nose, very dark but very perfumed and not at all hot or sunny. So juicy and alive with structure – the soft tannins give the outline while the real fruit purity sits in the middle. I love this a lot, very approachable, streamlined and focused with layers of fine tannins and brightness. You can feel the concentration in the construction but this carries a really fun, friendly, welcoming aspect because of the juiciness on the mid-palate. 50% grand vin production. 3.67pH. Ageing 18 months, 60% new oak. 0.5% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Barrel Sample: 97 -
Vinous
The 2025 Rauzan-Ségla is totally seamless in the glass. Dark-toned fruit, mocha, new leather, licorice, menthol and dried herbs infuse the palate with tremendous textural depth. The 2025 is of course very young. The year's natural concentration is its most evident signature at this time, but the rest will surely follow. Polished, supremely elegant tannins support the finish. What a stunner. Tasted two times. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 95-97 -
James Suckling
Blackberry, dark cherry and crushed stone notes with a medium to full body, chewy tannins and a long finish. Juicy and muscular. Wait and see.
Barrel Sample: 95-96 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2025 Rauzan-Ségla is promising, opening in the glass with notes of cassis, pencil shavings, sweet soil tones and a deft framing of new oak. Medium- to full-bodied, bright and layered, it's vibrant and concentrated, with a chassis of fine tannins and a penetrating, youthfully structured finish.
Barrel Sample: 94-96
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.