1997 Rauzan-Ségla

"We perceived a tenderness in the wine at the outset so even though we didn't shorten the cuvaison we did less extraction during vinification," explained manager John Kolasa. "We also rinsed the barrels much more than usual to get rid of any harshness, to reduce the shock to the wine. It was not a mistake. We also slightly reduced the new oak percentage from 75% to 70%. "The '99 includes ten barrels (3%) petit verdot—"gutsy, highly concentrated juice from tiny berries," according to Kolasa.

Following the very hot August, the early September rain slowed things down at this estate, according to manager John Kolasa. But the berries remained small and didn't swell with water through the harvest. No doubt the extensive drainage system put in since the Wertheimer group purchased this chateau in '94 served to protect the fruit in '98. Acidity levels remained on the high side, higher than in '96, according to Kolasa, who described the vinification as "normal," even if the color was slow to come.

The key to making good wine in '97 was getting ripe cabernet, says David Orr. "The merlot was smashing when we began picking it on September 17, but the cabernet was not really ripe yet and that why we hung on." Eventually, the estate harvested its cabernet between September 27 and October 1. Since the Wertheimer group purchased this chateau, a host of improvements have been made. A new pneumatic press was added before the '95 harvest. Yields have been reduced by about 10 hectoliters per hectare since the '80s. The percentage of new oak has been increased. The number of small cuves has been increased to allow for more harvest-time flexibility. And the percentage of the crop used for the grand vin has been dramatically reduced: today it is typically around 45%, vs. 65%-70% as recently as the late '80s. Perhaps equally important over the longer term: 14 kilometers of drains were put in prior to the '95 vintage. "Drainage has always been a problem on the Margaux plain," Orr explains. "And the roots of our vines have taken two or three years to adapt to the new water table."