2025 Rauzan-Segla (Margaux)

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1.5% Petit Verdot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc
18 months in oak, 60% new
‘Our technical team are faster than global warming,’ joked Nicolas Audebert when we marvelled at the sense of freshness and energy in 2025 Rauzan-Segla, fruit of a hot year. But he was also making a very serious point about how much more resilient the vineyard has become as a result of years of sensitive vineyard management. ‘The proportion of Cabernet is a bit lower than usual, due to the very small Cabernet berries. Merlot grapes absorbed some of the late August rain, but by then the Cabernet berries had such thick skins they didn’t really do that’. 2025 Rauzan-Segla is imbued with a fabulous minerality, a real sense of salty freshness that is a lovely counterpoint to the lush, floral fruit. Hidden underneath all that there is a huge tannic density, but as the tannins are so silky they are not as immediately obvious as they might be. A seamlessly textured, beautiful wine, with an impressively long finish. (NT 14/05/26)