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Domain: Château Rauzan Ségla (Rausan Ségla)

At the end of the 17th century, Château Rauzan-Ségla and Rauzan-Gassies' vineyards were all part of the same property, which was established by Pierre des Mesures de Razan in 1661. He also owned the vineyard that would later become Château Pichon Longueville Baron and Comtesse de Lalande. On his death in 1692, the property was split, with the division becoming formalized in the middle of the 18th century. The Cruse family purchased the property in 1903 and changed the spelling from a z to an s: Rausan Ségla. The vineyard was particularly badly hit by the frosts of the winter of 1956. It was sold the following year to an investor, Monsieur de Meslon. He replanted many of the vines and introduced mechanisation to the property. He then sold Rausan Ségla on to John Holt & Company in 1960. The young vines produced a disappointing wine until the beginning of the 1980s, then, in 1983, the wine returned to excellence under the supervision of Jacques Theo. As vineyard manager, he carried out major modernisation work, with the construction of a new winery, the purchase of stainless steel vats and an increase in the proportions of new oak used during the aging process. In 1994 the property received yet another boost when it was acquired by the wealthy Wertheimer family, the owners of Chanel. The name was changed back to Rauzan-Ségla. Further investments were made in both the château and the technical facilities in the winery. Significant efforts have been made to promote the domaine (e.g.: label for the 2009 vintage designed by Karl Lagerfeld). The vineyard has been completely restructured. To be fair, it does have an excellent terroir, with two of its plots bordering on Château Margaux.