Rauzan Ségla 2017

At this stage more intense crimson than the 2016! Smells of macerated raisins. I wonder how they made this? A bit sweet-and-sour. Less beautifully integrated than other recent vintages here – I even got a flash of the taste of English mustard! Not forced – quite nicely rounded tannins – but very non classical. Sort of very obviously assembled rather than organically grown. Slightly awkward scrawniness on the end.Drink 2023-2032

Inky core and purple rim. Not much on the nose, a touch of black olive as well as black fruit and a woody oak note. Relatively subdued on the palate but juicy and with more energy than some. Juicy fruit right through to the sustained finish. Drink 2023-2037

The black fruits on the nose are ripe depth of flavour the palate has sweet fruit mid suppleness a fleshy mix of damson and black cherry. There is balance underling bilberry but it is the sweet fruit that comes through and gives richness and depth on the finish. Drink 2024-2038.

This is another success for Rauzan-Ségla with rich, chocolatey fruit and some good power behind the oak. Always fairly demonstrative, this is a hedonistic wine in a vintage which rarely uses this descriptor, so there is a kind of anomaly here and it will not quite work itself to a conclusion so there will inevitably be a few flaws in its finished article, but regardless of this it is a success.

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Rauzan-Ségla rocks up with vibrant notions of cherry pie, warm cassis, blackberry preserves and red roses with hints of cinnamon stick and cloves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is completely filled with wonderfully pure red and black fruits, framed by firm, very ripe, fine-grained tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and spicy. Yum! The blend is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot.Drink Date2024 - 2050

The 2017 Rauzan-Ségla is matured in 50% new oak with 14% vin de presse, which was apparently from the high quality Cabernet this year. It has a fascinating bouquet with pure blackberry, iris, crushed stone and a light estuarine influence that becomes stronger with aeration, just a faint touch of oyster shell developing in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, crisp acidity, very elegant and refined, possibly the most feminine Rauzan-Ségla in recent years with a silky smooth finish. It is not the instant showstopper like the 2015 – this is more understated and needs time for its quality to be fully appreciated. Tasted on three occasions. Drink 2022-2045.

This is tight and focused with a super precise palate of blackberries, blackcurrants and hints of flowers. Full body, linear tannins and a long finish.

Composed of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot and sporting a deep garnet-purple color, the 2017 Rauzan-Segla (Rausan-Segla) has a profound nose of cassis, warm blackberries and black plums with touches of baking spices, violets, mocha and smoke plus a waft of garrigue. Medium to full-bodied with a great core of sustained, energetic black fruit, a frame of fine-grained tannins and a lively backbone, it finishes with great length.

Rich, tight and deep, this wine has been extremely well handled in a vintage that suits this elegant style. There isn't the depth and complexity of expression that was seen in the previous two vintages, but it gets across the signature of the estate in an earlier drinking form - the absolute essence of what you want in a trickier vintage. If priced well, it's a buy.Drinking Window 2026 - 2038