Rauzan-Ségla Margaux 1998

93 points Jane Anson (Decanter): "An extremely good Right Bank vintage, but it seems it was a good year for Rauzan-Segla too - I recently tasted a horizontal of St-Emilion 1998s and this wine stands up to them in quality terms. It has a lovely rich, warm character, full of generosity, spice, freshness and bristling, brambly black fruits. There are some clear tertiary notes of truffle and undergrowth too, and it has an utterly delicious saline finish. Drinking Window: 2019-2032. (Apr 2019)"

92 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): "The 1998 Rauzan-Ségla is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot. Medium to deep garnet-brick colored, it has a lovely nose of baked plums, dried cranberries, mulberries and licorice with nuances of leather, baking spices and dusty soil. The medium-bodied palate still maintains a surprising amount of fruit with fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with great length. While this is not a particularly complex Rauzan-Ségla, it is an outstanding example. It's unlikely to improve much, yet it is maturing slowly and should offer collectors a lot of joy over the next 15 years+. Drink: 2020-2035. (Apr 2020)"

92 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 1998 Rauzan-Ségla shows similarly to the bottle opened at the château during my 20-year on tastings a few weeks earlier. This was picked from 24 September until 8 October. It has an atypically brash and quite opulent bouquet, a touch more glycerin than I expected, perhaps the one vintage that doffs its cap to the New World. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, a fine line of acidity, and quite structured. Impressive weight in the mouth, and tarry black fruit wash over the senses towards the bravura of a finish. It is a wine that wants to impress and that it certainly does in what was a modest growing season. Tasted at the Rauzan-Ségla vertical at the château. Drink: 2019-2035. (Apr 2019)"

92+ points The World of Fine Wine: "In this underrated vintage for the Médoc--ideal August weather proved perfect for Merlot maturity, while the fall rains complicated Cabernet ripening--Rauzan-Ségla excels. The 59% of Cabernet Sauvignon in this blend has come around enough so that the wine's fine acidity, poise, and balance are expressed with ripe blackberry and stewed plum, not without some elegance. A cleaner expression than that of the 1999, with a medium finish. (Issue #64; 2019)"

91 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 1998 Rauzan-Ségla has slightly weedy in character, but also offers plenty of cedary spice, impressive sweetness of fruit, medium body, and a charming, balanced texture on the palate. Made from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, it’s a regal, rounded, fully mature old girl that has plenty of character. It’s not getting any better, yet I don’t see it falling off a cliff any time soon either. I’d line up bottles for drinking any time over the coming decade or so. Drink: 2019-2029. (May 2019)"

90 points Wine Spectator: "Dark color, with a ripe blackberry character and hints of minerals. Medium- to full-bodied, with lovely, integrated tannins and velvety, round mouthfeel. Lovely now. Drink now. - '88/'98 Bordeaux retrospective (2008)"

90 points Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar): "Ruby-red. Penetrating, minerally aromas of raspberry, redcurrant and cedary oak. Denser and more structured than the '99; with its firmer acidity, this is more classic claret. Very rich, sharply delineated wine that will require at least seven or eight years of bottle aging. (May/Jun 2001)"

17/20 points Clive Coates (The Wines of Bordeaux): "Full colour. Lovely nose. Real breed. Persistent and gently oaky. Very good fruit. Medium-full body. Ripe tannins. This is a classy wine. Long, fresh, pure and very harmonious. Real Margaux class. Very good indeed. 2006-2020. (2004)"

4/5 Glasses, Bettane & Desseauve Guide (2001).

8.5/10 La Revue du Vin de France (2003).