Château Rieussec
The vintage
The winter of 2018 was the coldest we have had since 2010, mainly due to particularly severe weather in February.
It was very rainy, with endless showers that continued throughout the spring. To find such wet conditions at the beginning of the season, you would have to go back to 2001. As a result, there was an unusually high threat of mildew that persisted from May into July. Such violent outbreaks of mildew had not been seen within living memory. Fortunately, the situation significantly improved over the summer, thanks to dry, hot weather which enabled us to restore the vineyard’s health and produce excellent quality grapes.
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 Bortrytis Cinerea, also known as noble rot.
Terroir
Château Rieussec sits on the border of Fargues and Sauternes, bordered by Château d'Yquem to the West. Rieussec is one of the largest properties in Sauternes and Barsac, covering 93 hectares of gravel sitting on sandy-clay soils.
Winemaking
All batches are pressed individually in small pneumatic presses. After a few hours of cold settling, the must is transferred into new oak barrels from the Tonnellerie des Domaines in Pauillac for fermentation. Alcoholic fermentation is interrupted when the desired balance between alcohol and sugar had been reached. After fermentation, the wine is aged in barrels for 24 months.
Grapes
Tasting
Beautiful bright golden colour.
This Rieussec has a remarkable aromatic freshness, linked to the unusually high proportion of Sauvignon in the blend (25%).
Aromas of citrus fruit, honey and candied apricots are accompanied by well-integrated oaky notes.
On the palate, the attack is direct. This is a robust wine characterized predominantly by citrus flavours with a slight bitterness that adds a certain subtlety to the overall impression. The finish is long with a hint of spice.
Since after 18 months of barrel-ageing this wine was already very balanced and rounded, we decided to shorten its ageing period by 10 months to preserve the full freshness of the Sauvignon. So, this is an unusual Rieussec, whose evolution we look forward to following closely.
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