When a fine wine is owned by luxury fashion brand Chanel, you know you are in for a good thing. And since the Wertheimer brothers took over ownership of this 1855 second growth, Château Rauzan Segla is most definitely a good thing.

One of the few wines to have ever been promoted from second to first place, left bank Rauzan-Ségla occupies the lofty position of being no.1 of the second growths. This was not always the case - when Mouton Rosthchild famously got itself promoted to the premier league of first growths in 1973, Rauzan-Ségla took its place at the head of the leaderboard. It remains at the top of the twos to this day.

Château Rauzan Segla’s history dates back to 1661, when Château Margaux and Château Latour owner Pierre de Rauzan became the new owner of the estate. With such illustrious company in his portfolio, it was no surprise that Rauzan Segla became the Bordeaux red wine of choice for many. But by the 18th century, the estates had been divided with Rauzan Ségla being managed by de Rauzan’s second brother, Sieur de Gassies. Gassies’ superior winemaking skill was proven by Thomas Jefferson, who really put the wine on the map. The third american president ordered 10 cases of the Bordeaux red during his trip in 1787, cementing Rauzin in the hearts (and on the tables) of the 18th century aristocracy.

Over the next 200 years, Rauzan Segla suffered a few setbacks. Poor management, a name change (from Rauzan Segla to Rausan Segla), heavy frosts and phylloxera meant that the estate was in a sorry state when the Wertheimers came to the rescue in 1984. They immediately started on massive renovation. They changed the name back to the original spelling, hired John Kolasa (who had previously turned Château Latour’s fortunes around) and began replanting. This he did by increasing the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in place of the Merlot that had taken over the wine’s taste. Kolasa also replaced the 225-litre cement vinification tanks with smaller vats to better reflect the style of the wine he wanted to make. Machine farming was stopped in 1994 and yield was reduced to 200,000 bottles. The Wertheimers then set about renovating the chateau’s 18th century interior. They hired Peter Marino who’s past projects included the Chanel building in Tokyo, Giorgio Armani’s private residence, and the Dior boutique in New York.

The vineyards have grown from 52ha to 74ha, with the best grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon) coming from the deep, gravelly plot named Boston. Interestingly, these grapes are kept for the second wine, Segla, rather than being incorporated into the flagship product. Nicolas Audebert, of LVMH's Cheval des Andes in Argentina fame succeeded Kolasa as director in 2015, and under his steerage the wines have taken on a new level of excellence. Investors should look out for anything post-2000, six years after renovations began.