Chateau Rauzan Segla 2020

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2020 Rauzan-Ségla is showing brilliantly in bottle. Wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis and minty blackberries mingled with violets and licorice, it's medium to full-bodied, suave and seamless, with a deep core of vibrant fruit, beautifully refined tannins and a harmonious, integrated profile that exudes elegance. A wine of immense character and refinement, it's the best vintage from this estate in recent times."

DECANTER: "Juicy and lively fragrance on the nose – so perfumed and alluring. Delicate and pure on the palate, crystalline yet with such intensity. A rush of creamy tangy strawberries, herbal-edged raspberries and plum fruit lined with salty minerality gives the nuance and detail. It’s lightly framed with well integrated tannins that are fine and firm, tense just giving some tightness on the mid-palate, a sense of compactness, but then it opens again towards the finish. Cool and ethereal, this exudes charm and confidence. Extremely well made and totally seductive. I love the juiciness and sense of joyfulness, but it’s also beguiling as it deepens and grows in layers of chalk, slate, bramble fruits, perfume and florality. Another excellent wine from Rauzan with delicacy, detall and drinkability. Stunning."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2020 Château Rauzan-Ségla is pure Margaux brilliance, and this beautifully elegant wine embodies the best of the vintage. Revealing a deep ruby/purple hue as well as a great bouquet of blackcurrants, black cherries, lead pencil, sandalwood, smoked tobacco, and hints of incense, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and a great finish. It offers pleasure today (although it closes down with extended air) but deserves 5-7 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30 years or more. This is clearly in the same league as the 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. Tasted on multiple occasions with consistent results."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "The complex perfume stands out with its array of flowers, cinnamon, currants, cherries, cigar box, and touch of tobacco. The wine is full-bodied, deep, sensuous, silky and yes, sexy, finishing with a wealth of expansive fruit, espresso and dark cocoa that holds our focus for over 50 seconds. Drink from 2027-2060."

JAMES SUCKLING: "A very polished red with blackberry, black olive, walnut, and crushed stone aromas that follow through to a medium to full body with polished, velvety tannins that go on for minutes. Surprisingly open and so attractive. Wonderful length to this. Needs four to five years to open. Best after 2026."

WEINWISSER: "Dicht verwobenes Bouquet, blaubeerige Konturen, zartes Veilchenparfüm und Nougatpraline. Am sublimen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, tänzerischer Rasse, stützendem reifem Tanningerüst; perfekt geformter Körper. Im gebündelt feinaromatischen Finale katapultiert sich der Margaux nach vorne und endet mit einem Feuerwerk aus reifen Brombeeren, edler Cassiswürze, Graphit und erhabener Adstringenz. WOW! Trinkreife nach hinten angepasst. Kaufbefehl für diesen Top-Performer."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This wine has a fine structure, with dense tannins from the Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. It is a full wine, the spicy character mingling with black currant flavors. The wine has an excellent future. Drink from 2027."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung. Frische Zwetschken, Herzkirschen, zart nach Edelholz und Vanille, einladendes Bukett. Mittlerer Körper, reife rote Kirschfrucht, frisch strukturiert, reife Tannine, zart salzig im Abgang, delikat, schwungvoll und bereits gut entwickelt, ein facettenreicher Speisenwein mit einigem Reifepotenzial. (2025–2045)"

WINE SPECTATOR: "Shows nice range and texture, with a mix of plum, black currant and black cherry preserves carried by a very silky structure, while black tea, alder and sweet tobacco fill in through the finish. Approachable for its caressing edge, but there's no rush. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2036."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Very dark with purplish rim. Less fruity than the 2019 at first, even more restrained in its dark-fruit profile. Dry, firm, compact. Opens to fresh dark-red and black fruit. Tannins are a little bit chewy but there is a lovely fresh aftertaste."