Château Rauzan-Ségla Margaux Grand Cru Classé 2019 / 14.5% / 0.75 L

Château Rauzan-Ségla is one of Margaux’s most enchanting stories—it begins in 1661, when Pierre de Rauzan consolidated the surrounding plots and created an estate that would eventually be divided into several châteaux known today.In 1855, Rauzan-Ségla was classified as a Deuxième Grand Cru Classé, and its reputation dates back to the time of Thomas Jefferson, who ordered cases of this wine during his travels through Bordeaux.After years of highs and lows, in 1994 the estate was purchased by brothers Alain and Gérard Wertheimer—the owners of Chanel—and a renaissance began: the modernization of the vineyard and cellars, the discreet aesthetics of haute couture applied to wine, and today, the helm is held by CEO and winemaker Nicolas Audebert.This combination of heritage and precision has propelled the estate back to the very top of Margaux.

The vineyard itself is a patchwork of terroirs on the terraces of the Gironde: deep gravel mixed with clay, fine clay-sand gravel, and patches of clay — a natural filter and heat reservoir for Cabernet, which in Margaux has such a beautiful violet aroma.Older vines, planted densely (approximately 6,600–10,000 vines per hectare), produce fruit in clusters; the farm has been practicing organic farming since 2019 and received certification in 2023.Today's mosaic of parcels covers approx..70–74 hectares are under cultivation and planted mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with a small amount of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

There are also some beautiful curiosities here.In 2009, Karl Lagerfeld designed a special label for the Rauzan-Ségla vintage—a symbolic bridge between fashion and wine, although the Chanel brand itself consistently remains in the shadow of its owners’ wine projects.And the story of Jefferson, who ordered wines from this estate in 1787, continues to appear in the estate's publications to this day.

Rauzan-Ségla 2019 is a vintage with the beauty of black-and-white photography: understated, elegant, with a tension hidden beneath a veil of tannins.The winter was mild and dry, the spring cool and wet, and the summer hot and dry; the September rainfall helped the Cabernet ripen.The harvest was conducted by hand, with the grapes selected into crates and sorted manually: Merlot from September 12 to 25, Cabernet Sauvignon from September 25 to October 9, small batches of Petit Verdot on September 26 and October 7, and Cabernet Franc on September 30.The blend consists of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35.5% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 0.5% Cabernet Franc; it was aged for 18 months in 60% new barrels, with a yield of 42 hl/ha.