2014 Chateau Rauzan Segla Margaux

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 wines here have delighted many well-know figures, most famously Thomas Jefferson who came across this wine during his visit to the vineyards of Bordeaux, placing an order for several cases of it. He thus became a fervent admirer or Rauzan-Segla wines. Some decades later, the 1855 Classification ranked Chateau Rauzan-Segla as a Second Growth.

The current chateau was built in 1903, designed by architect Louis Garros, who drew inspiriation from the original Perigord-style buildings in the the chateau, as well as G. LeBreton who designed the park and green spaces. Then time went by and the chateau gradually fell into a slumber.