1964 Rauzan Segla

The 1964 Château Rauzan-Segla is a Bordeaux that you might euphemistically describe as "interesting". Others might just call it "crap". It has a wide tawny rim that gives away its age, and frankly I have witnessed far clearer 1964 Left Banks in my time. The nose is fully mature and in decline, strong bell pepper, almost capsicum scents demonstrating that the fruit was picked under-ripe before the rains ruined a majority of the wines on the Left Bank. The palate is medium to light-bodied with vestiges of red fruit. Masculine, tannic and slightly bitter, it attenuates drastically to the rather hollow finish and only the savory aftertaste is appealing. Bottles of 1964 Rauzan-Segla ought to have been consumed by now, though I strongly suspect that this Margaux was never top grade. Tasted August 2015.