2018 Rauzan-Ségla: the Star of the Vintage

One of the unique and amazing aspects of Bordeaux wines is how early they’re tracked for greatness. En Primeur happens only about six months after harvest, and is the first time that wines are reviewed professionally. It’s always a race to see which critics get their noses into glasses the fastest, and where, because producers and consumers alike are waiting with bated breath for greatness to be bestowed. Once in bottle, a year or so later, another round of excitement rises again as the finished wines are reviewed. Now several years removed from the excellent 2018 vintage, it’s become clear that an early front-runner for Wine of the Vintage is still way ahead of the pack: Château Rauzan-Ségla.

The fanfare around Bordeaux wines doesn’t end when they’re released, of course. In the subsequent years, there are countless retrospective reports, follow-ups, and tasting events, which occur periodically for decades after release. And as we’ve been tracking this early intel, we’re seeing tremendous promise for 2018 Rauzan-Ségla. Are there other similarly excellent wines from an already excellent vintage? Of course! But there’s really no other wine in Bordeaux that’s delivering such class, power, and cellar potential anywhere near this Rauzan-Ségla’s price tag, making it the ultimate collector’s Bordeaux.

So how did this Margaux estate become such a runaway success, and seemingly out of left field? Well, for starters, the potential has always been there. A Second Growth, the terroir and history are undeniable, and Rauzan-Ségla’s reputation has been solid for generations. But back in 2015, longtime winemaker John Kolasa was succeeded by Nicolas Audebert. While Kolasa helped transform and modernize the winery in the 1990s, Audebert picked up the bâton and has—with his own enological and viticultural mastery—brought Rauzan-Ségla to heights they’ve never seen before. That first release of Audebert’s is firing on all cylinders right now, and was an enthusiastic favorite of ours when we tasted it at the estate during En Primeur last year.

We’re expecting nothing but continued success—and even further improvement—for this historic estate. Could it follow in the footsteps of the likes of Palmer? Or even Canon, which shares the same ownership and winemaker? Based on what we’ve tasted, we can easily confirm that Rauzan-Ségla is not only here to stay, but quickly cementing its legacy as not just a well-justified Second Growth, but one of the few that should be in the conversation for upgrade to First Growth, if they keep up what they’ve achieved since 2018.