Chateau Rieussec, Sauternes Les Carmes de Rieussec 2013 Half Bottle
Chateau Rieussec, Sauternes Les Carmes de Rieussec 2013 Half Bottle
Château Rieussec was acquired by the Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) in 1984, the estate then had 110 hectares including 68 ha of vines. To better express the Château’s potential, rigorous measures are put in place with, among other things, more meticulous grain sorting and fermentation in barrels, which allows a much finer selection during the blending of the great wine.
Les Carmes de Rieussec is the second wine of the property. The name Carmes de Rieussec refers to the monks of the Carmelites of Langon, owners of the estate of Rieussec in the 18th century.
At the tasting, Les Carmes de Rieussec offers a nice aromatic range with a dominant citrus palette. Golden color with copper tones. Nose of pineapple, apricot, honey and hints of vanilla. The wine is sweet, but with enough acidity to always feels fresh, and never cloying.
The terroir of Château Rieussec is one of the most important properties of Sauternes, the vineyards cover 93 hectares of land of gravel, felted with silt. The grape variety is 90% Sémillon, supplemented by 7% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Muscadelle.
The techniques used are traditional in Sauternes and the grape harvests are done in several successive sorts according to the state of ripening of the grapes.
Over the years, the production equipment has undergone successive renovations and modernizations, including the construction in 2000 of a new barrel cellar. The cellars are located in the heart of the Château Rieussec vineyard in Fargues. Each sorting from a well-identified plot is isolated in a batch of barrels to appreciate its ability to enter or not into the great wine after the end of fermentations. Each vintage is aged in oak barrels mainly from the Domaines cooperage and half renewed each year.