2003

Château Rieussec

AOC Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

Presentation

For several generations, Château Rieussec has been a leading name in Sauternes wines. As early as 1868, Charles Cocks remarked that “Beyond any of the others, Rieussec produces wines that are very similar to Yquem wines”.

The vintage

The year was marked by low rainfall and a heat wave in the first two weeks of August, with temperatures above 40°C. This made for an exceptionally early vintage.
Harvesting was over very quickly. Botrytis began to appear in September and was widespread, which resulted in remarkable concentration. More often than not, the grape-pickers only needed to harvest the rows once and picking had to be fast to prevent the grapes from becoming over concentrated. The harvest started on September 17th with the grapes for the botrytised sweet wines and the entire harvest was brought in by October 1st.

Location

The Sauternes appellation stretches on the left bank of the Garonne, about 50km South of Bordeaux. The natural humidity arising from the Ciron river provides the ideal conditions for the development of Botrytis Cinerea, also known as noble rot.

Terroir

Château Rieussec sits on the border of Fargues and Sauternes. Château Rieussec is one of the largest properties in Sauternes and Barsac, covering 93 hectares, made up of gravel on sandy-clay soil.

Winemaking

All batches were pressed individually in small pneumatic presses. After a few hours of cold settling, the must was transferred into new oak barrels from the Tonnellerie des Domaines in Pauillac for fermentation. Alcoholic fermentation was interrupted when the desired balance between alcohol and sugar had been reached.
After fermentation, the wine was aged in barrels for 26 months.

Grapes

91 %

Sémillon

6 %

Sauvignon

3 %

Muscadelle

Serving

Temperature : 8-10°C

Tasting

A powerful, rich and concentrated vintage. The nose is intensely fruity with lots of spice and the palate combines elegance and richness. A good sugar/spice balance suggests that it is suitable for long-ageing.
Before bottling, it retains its exceptional power with notes of vanilla and an amazingly long finish.