Rauzan Gassies - Margaux 2020

Alexandre Ma

91

byAlexandre Mathe4/18/2023

Jeb DUNNUCK

90

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/30/2023

Exotic red and blue fruits, graphite, tobacco, and incense notes all emerge from the 2020 Château Rauzan-Gassies, a medium-bodied, complex, focused, structured 2020 that needs 3-5 years in the cellar due to its firmer tannins. It's a classic, impressive 2020 that will have 15-20 years of overall longevity.

The Wine Cellar Insider

93

byJeff Levethe3/22/2023

Plums, cherries, chocolate, and flowers emerge with no effort. Silky, fresh, soft, and polished, this is what Margaux elegance is all about. There is length, vibrance, and purity in the fruits that linger in the long, refined, polished finish. As I wrote in my barrel tasting notes, clearly, this is a big step up from previous vintages. You must go back to 1928 to taste a wine from Rauzan Gassies this good. Drink from 2024-2050.

Alexandre Ma

91

byAlexandre Mathe3/15/2023

Wines Critic

94

byRaffaele Vecchionethe3/10/2023

Intriguing and serious in the sensory profile showing notes of red prunes, cherries, sour cherries, linden, mandarin juice and sweet cherries. Full bodied, perfectly extracted and smoothed tannins and a noble, splendidly elegant finish. Better from 2025.

Vinous

94

byAntonio Gallonithe2/24/2023

The 2020 Rauzan Gassies is a very beautiful and expressive wine that marries power with finesse. Dark cherry, plum, lavender, espresso and chocolate infuse the 2020 with notable depth. Rauzan Gassies is a pretty rich Margaux, and yet all the elements are so well balanced. I admire the depth and substance here.

Jamessuckling.com

94

byJames Sucklingthe1/16/2023

Aromas of tobacco, spice, earth and dark berries follow through to a full body with polished and velvety tannins, savory fruit and an orange peel and dried citrus undertone to the fruit. Give this three or four years to come together. Try after 2025.

TASTED

90

byAndreas Larssonthe7/6/2021

Pure and classic nose with rather generous toast and oak presence, dense and tannic palate with sour cherry, plum and herbal flavours, grippy with good length, a tannic bite, a classic style for long ageing.

Jeb DUNNUCK

91-93

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/28/2021

One of the more exotic wines in the appellation, the 2020 Château Rauzan-Gassies offers a spicy, perfumed, red and blue-fruited style and carries notes of camphor, ginger, and spicy oak. Medium to full-bodied and nicely textured on the palate, it has good mid-palate density, ripe tannins, and solid balance. This is another beautiful Margaux with lots of character and a solid 20 years of prime drinking ahead of it.

Vinous

87-89

byNeal Martinthe5/27/2021

The 2020 Rauzan Gassies offers light but quite fragrant blackberry, briar and iodine scents and (hooray!) there is no sign of the greenness that has afflicted some recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied and quite sweet, with angular tannins on the entry, but unfortunately it does lack complexity and density toward the bitter finish. Nevertheless, it does show better than some vintages and I will "keep the faith."

Decanter.com

92

byJane Ansonthe5/25/2021

Starts off with a clear emphasis on blackberry and redcurrant fruit. They have gone light on the extraction and so delivered a wine that has excellent drinkability. Not highly concentrated, which is striking in the vintage, and this is appealing and charming - if quite different from most of its classified peers. A yield of 33hl/ha, 50% new oak. Tasted twice.

The Wine Cellar Insider

91-93

byJeff Levethe5/21/2021

With a beautiful, deep hue, the wine pops with its floral, dark pit fruit, espresso, smoke, licorice and spice perfume. On the palate the wine is rich, full and with a solid depth of flavor, finishing with layers of concentrated, silky, lusciously textured black, red and blue fruits. Clearly, this is a big step up from pervious vintages. From what I've tasted, you have to go back to 1928 to taste a wine from Rauzan Gassies this good. 91-93

Wine Advocate

90-92

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/20/2021

With a deep purple-black color, the 2020 Rauzan-Gassies comes galloping out of the glass with powerful notes of warm cassis, stewed blackberries and Morello cherries, plus wafts of tar, raspberry leaves and sautéed herbs with a touch of black truffles. The medium-bodied palate is soft and juicy, featuring plenty of black fruit flavors and just enough freshness, finishing with a peppery kick.

Anthocyanes

91-93

byYohan Castaingthe5/11/2021

Malgré un nez fermé, le bouquet s'avère très élégant, frais et fruité. La bouche est tendue, légèrement acide, plutôt sur la tension. Cette propriété fait des efforts qualitatifs et cela se voit.

Falstaff

91-93

byPeter Moserthe5/10/2021

Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, breitere Randaufhellung. Zart tabakig unter- legte rote Herzkirschenfrucht, ein Hauch von Pflaumen, Orangenzesten. Mittlerer Körper, feine Fruchtsüße, zarte Nougat, reife Tannine, mineralisch im Abgang, durchaus harmonisch, bleibt haften, eine positive Tendenz ist in den jüngsten Jahren unverkennbar.

My Bettane + Desseauve

92-93

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/7/2021

Jamessuckling.com

94-95

byJames Sucklingthe4/23/2021

Complex aromas of blackcurrant, black truffle, walnut, bark and earth follow through to a full body with dense, refined tannins that are layered and chewy, yet silky. Very long finish. Best since 2015?