We haven't spoken about a wine in a while as we have been on the road for quite some time. You can find Vino Las Vegas at Rosemary's Restaurant quite often. On this visit we enjoyed great food and a spectacular Chateau-Rauzan Segla 2003 from Margaux. As we turned the pages in their wine list the words "second growth" jumped out at us and made our wine selection very easy.
The chateau takes its name from Pierre des Mesures de Rauzan who purchased it in 1661 and developed it into vineyards. It was accorded Second Growth status in the 1855 Classification of the Medoc. In the original distribution of the 1855 Classification, Chateau Rauzan-Segla was listed 6th, just behind the four First Growths and Chateau Mouton Rothschild.
Frederic Cruse purchased Rauzan-Segla in 1903. He invested heavily and made many improvements. He is responsible for the building of the house and for the complete replanting of the vineyards and renovation of the facilities.
Since 1983, it has resumed its position as a premier producer and worthy of its rank. That was due to the involvement from that year by Jacques Theo who became involved with the chateau's operations and wine making. He brought in a new cellar master, built a new wine making facility (chai), and also made adjustments in all aspects of the wine production from vineyard, grape selection and barrel selection. Rauzan-Segla is owned by Château Rauzan-Ségla S.A. which is a subsidiary of the Chanel Group. This ownership change took place in 1994. This ownership has once again invested in the property and is keeping it in top shape.
The wines are placed in oak barrels for 18 months of aging after fermentation. 50% to 60% of the barrels are replaced each year. The percentage of new barrels can vary slightly as the winemaker determines the amount of oak influence that is best for the particular vintage. The oak used by Chateau Rauzan-Segla comes from the Troncais forests of France. During the aging period, the wines are racked every 3 months to remove sediments. Once barrel aging is complete, the wines are fined with egg whites in the traditional manner before bottling.
Deuxieme grands crus classes
(Second Great Growths)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Cantenac-Margaux)
Chateau Cos-d'Estournel (Saint-Est�phe)
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou (Saint-Julien)
Chateau Durfort-Viviens (Margaux)
Chateau Gruaud-Larose (Saint-Julien)
Chateau Lascombes (Margaux)
Chateau Leoville-Barton (Saint-Julien)
Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases (Saint-Julien)
Chateau Leoville-Poyferr� (Saint-Julien)
Chateau Montrose (Saint-Est�phe)
Chateau Pichon-Lalande (Pauillac)
Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron (Pauillac)
Chateau Rauzan-Segla (Margaux)
Chateau Rauzan-Gassies (Margaux)
On the nose we had hints of nuts , earth and smoke. The palate was amazing with red fruit and cassis along with a firm core of tannins on the finish. This lovely Bordeaux is worthy of its 92 points and went well with red meat and even Chef's special scallops.
We could not think of a better match than Chef Michael Jordan's creations at Rosemary's and this 2003 Bordeaux from Margaux that seemed to get better with each sip.
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