2016 Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux

I continue to love the 2016 Rauzan-Ségla, a thrillingly complete, flawlessly balanced, and borderline perfect Margaux that should be snatched up by readers. Notes of cassis, graphite, tobacco leaf, and earth all give way to a full-bodied effort that has building tannins, no hard edges, and a level of purity and elegance that’s just about off the charts. Given its purity and balance, it’s accessible today, but it will be best with 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for 3-4 decades.

The 2016 vintage is one of the defining Left Bank benchmarks of the modern Bordeaux era, and Rauzan‑Ségla is one of the wines that embodies its brilliance. Just as the Chanel team reshaped the Right Bank landscape with the groundbreaking 2015 Canon, 2016 Rauzan‑Ségla is their landmark achievement in Margaux—a breakthrough wine that crystallizes everything the estate has been building toward. Aromatically, it’s quintessential Margaux at its most refined: lifted florals, a touch of blood orange, and deep cassis. But the palate is where the wine’s stature becomes undeniable—pure, focused, elegant, and seamless. The red‑and‑black‑fruit profile is beautifully sculpted, yet the finish is what truly sets it apart: long, mouthwatering, and saturated with that unmistakable Cabernet essence that only the greatest 2016s deliver. This is a wine with decades ahead of it—easily twenty years or more—but the harmony and precision it’s showing right now make it irresistible. It’s luxurious without excess, precise without austerity, and absolutely one of the signature achievements of this unforgettable vintage. And the kicker: we’re delivering it direct from Bordeaux at a genuinely stunning price. For collectors, it’s one of the smartest buys in top‑tier Margaux. Absolutely superb.