Rauzan Segla 2012

Margaux, Second Growth

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Tasting Notes
The brilliant 2012 Rauzan-Ségla is unquestionably one of the successes in the Médoc in 2012. Its still youthful ruby/purple color is followed by impressive notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, cedar, graphite, and some earthy, underbrush-like nuances. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and balanced, it builds with time in the glass and has plenty of tannins as well as length. While it offers pleasure today, it’s going to benefit from another 4-5 years of bottle age, and it should be long-lived. Score: 95 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2023-2048 01 May 2019
The 2012 Rauzan-Ségla has a similar colour to the 2015 although it has a hard time competing with the delineation, the crystalline nature of the 2015. Yet it compensates with the sheer aromatic flamboyance. This has really opened up in the last 18 months or so, quite lush and precocious black fruit, loam and iris, just a slight hint of bell pepper emanating from the small amount of Cabernet Franc. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin. There is a lovely seam of acidity here that lends the 2012 a sense of focus. It is not a deep or lavish Rauzan-Ségla, in some ways a little more conservative than I recall. There is fine grip on the saline finish, perhaps a Margaux that is just beginning to close up for a while? This still has great potential. Tasted at the Rauzan-Ségla vertical at the château. Score: 93 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2050 01 April 2019
The 2012 Rauzan-Ségla (54.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 1.5% Petit Verdot) is a classic Rauzan-Ségla, still relatively backward and tannic, but concentrated and extremely promising. Dense blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit along with some licorice, vanilla, foresty notes and spice are all present in this full-bodied yet structured and big, beefy style of Rauzan-Ségla . It may turn out to be somewhat atypical for this château in its size and masculine structure, but this is impressive wine, and one of the great successes of the vintage. Give it 5-7 years of bottle age and drink it over the following three decades. (94+) Score: 94 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022-2052 01 April 2015
The 2012 Rauzan Segla may turn out to be as strong an effort as their 2010. A brilliant blend of 54.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot (which accounts for the wine’s ripeness and intensity), and the rest a tiny dollop of 1.5% Petit Verdot, it boasts an inky/blue/purple color as well as gorgeous aromas of black and blue fruits, spring flowers, and hints of background toast and forest floor. Well-integrated wood and acidity as well as moderately ripe tannins make for a medium to full-bodied, expansive, flavorful, rich, well-delineated effort. It will need 3-5 years of bottle age and should drink well for two decades thereafter. Score: 93 - 95 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2016-2036 26 April 2013
A full and silky wine with a slightly hollow center-palate now but it’s very pretty and chewy. Needs two or three years to soften. Very persistent and structured. Score: 93 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 15 February 2015
Balanced and structured with lots of polished tannins. Full and refined with a lovely core and length. Goes on for a long time. Score: 92 - 93 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 04 April 2013
Dark purplish. Lacks just a little freshness on the nose. Quite brutal fruit but some juiciness triumphs above the oak. Ambitious. Vibrant with good persistence. (16.5+ Points) Score: 16 - 17 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2020-2035 22 April 2013
A mix of dark plum, blackberry and fig fruit rumbles along here, with a charcoal note cutting a broad swath. Solid, if a bit blunt in the end, as bittersweet cocoa clamps own on the finish. Went for obvious extraction, and now we have to wait and see if this stretches out in time or stays landlocked by the square tannins. Score: 89 - 92 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 08 April 2013

Tasting Notes

The brilliant 2012 Rauzan-Ségla is unquestionably one of the successes in the Médoc in 2012. Its still youthful ruby/purple color is followed by impressive notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, cedar, graphite, and some earthy, underbrush-like nuances. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and balanced, it builds with time in the glass and has plenty of tannins as well as length. While it offers pleasure today, it’s going to benefit from another 4-5 years of bottle age, and it should be long-lived.

Score: 95

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2023-2048 01 May 2019

The 2012 Rauzan-Ségla has a similar colour to the 2015 although it has a hard time competing with the delineation, the crystalline nature of the 2015. Yet it compensates with the sheer aromatic flamboyance. This has really opened up in the last 18 months or so, quite lush and precocious black fruit, loam and iris, just a slight hint of bell pepper emanating from the small amount of Cabernet Franc. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin. There is a lovely seam of acidity here that lends the 2012 a sense of focus. It is not a deep or lavish Rauzan-Ségla, in some ways a little more conservative than I recall. There is fine grip on the saline finish, perhaps a Margaux that is just beginning to close up for a while? This still has great potential. Tasted at the Rauzan-Ségla vertical at the château.

Score: 93

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2050 01 April 2019

The 2012 Rauzan-Ségla (54.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 1.5% Petit Verdot) is a classic Rauzan-Ségla, still relatively backward and tannic, but concentrated and extremely promising. Dense blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit along with some licorice, vanilla, foresty notes and spice are all present in this full-bodied yet structured and big, beefy style of Rauzan-Ségla . It may turn out to be somewhat atypical for this château in its size and masculine structure, but this is impressive wine, and one of the great successes of the vintage. Give it 5-7 years of bottle age and drink it over the following three decades. (94+)

Score: 94

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022-2052 01 April 2015

The 2012 Rauzan Segla may turn out to be as strong an effort as their 2010. A brilliant blend of 54.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot (which accounts for the wine’s ripeness and intensity), and the rest a tiny dollop of 1.5% Petit Verdot, it boasts an inky/blue/purple color as well as gorgeous aromas of black and blue fruits, spring flowers, and hints of background toast and forest floor. Well-integrated wood and acidity as well as moderately ripe tannins make for a medium to full-bodied, expansive, flavorful, rich, well-delineated effort. It will need 3-5 years of bottle age and should drink well for two decades thereafter.

Score: 93 - 95

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2016-2036 26 April 2013

A full and silky wine with a slightly hollow center-palate now but it’s very pretty and chewy. Needs two or three years to soften. Very persistent and structured.

Score: 93

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 15 February 2015

Balanced and structured with lots of polished tannins. Full and refined with a lovely core and length. Goes on for a long time.

Score: 92 - 93

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 04 April 2013

Dark purplish. Lacks just a little freshness on the nose. Quite brutal fruit but some juiciness triumphs above the oak. Ambitious. Vibrant with good persistence. (16.5+ Points)

Score: 16 - 17

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2020-2035 22 April 2013

A mix of dark plum, blackberry and fig fruit rumbles along here, with a charcoal note cutting a broad swath. Solid, if a bit blunt in the end, as bittersweet cocoa clamps own on the finish. Went for obvious extraction, and now we have to wait and see if this stretches out in time or stays landlocked by the square tannins.

Score: 89 - 92

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 08 April 2013

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