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.