Chateau Rieussec

The estate was known as Chateau Rieusec in the 1855 classification, located not far east and a little south of Chateau d’Yquem. At 78m above sea level the property is the second highest point in the Sauternes appellation, but in fact the vineyards are divided between the communes of Fargues and Sauternes.

The history started when it was under the ownership of Carmelite monks. The name may come from a contraction of Ruisseau, the name of a stream running between Rieussec and Yquem, and sec, referring to the dry up of the stream in the summer months.

With the Revolution the estate was sequestered as a national asset and later purchased by a gentleman named Mareilhac, already owning La Louviere in Pessac-Leognan. It was later sold to a Monsieur Mayne in 1846, with a small plot cleaved off and sold to Eloi Lacoste, proprietor of Chateau Pexiotto, a classified deuxieme cru but later disappeared, subsumed into Chateau Rabaud, but that plot was returned to the original owners, so there was no overall loss eventually.

The estate was then passed to Charles Crepin, who bequeathed to his son-in-law Paul Defolie in 1892. There was a number of changes in ownership afterwards, and because of under-investment it began to fall into dilapidation. It was acquired by Edgar and Marc Bannel in 1907, then Madame Lasseverie and her son-in-law Henri Gasqueton, who later owned Calon-Segur in St-Estephe.

Next came the Vicomte du Bouzet and his brother-in-law Berry, who later sold the property to Gerard Balaresque in 1957. Then supermarket magnate Albert Vuillier chose Rieussec when he wanted to buy a property in Sauternes, acquiring it in 1971. He replanted some of the vineyards and introduced new fermentation vessels but a string of unsuccessful vintages resulted in the sales to the Rothschilds.

The Lafite-Rothschild family took part-ownership with Albert Frere, who at the time also owned Cheval Blanc. Initially Vuillier stayed on at the property but in 1985 he was replaced as manager by Charles Chevalier until 1994, when he moved to Lafite to focus there. Now Frederic Magniez is responsible for running the estate on a daily basis.

Under the Rothschilds there has been continued investment and revitalization at Rieussec, with many regarding it only second to d’Yquem in quality nowadays. Most of the vineyards surround the chateau, with some vines further to the east near Chateau de Fargues. Today it covers 137 hectares of which 93 hectares are planted.

The soils are a mix of gravel and sand, over deeper clay, with the predominance of clay tends toward heaviness and excessive water retention. The vines average 25 years old only, because of the extensive replanting, with 90% Semillon, 7% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Muscadelle. The vineyard is large and harvesting is done in tries, with the botrytised fruit collected in shallow plastic trays.

The yield is low at about 15 hl/ha. From 2000 vintage the fermentation is done in barrel, allowing each aliquot to be individually managed and assessed. Elevage follows with up to 30 months of oak aging, with regular racking, and the oak is approximately half new.

Strict selection means only the best wines go into the grand vin, and in poor vintage no grand vin is produced. The wine sees a light filtering and cold stabilization, and the lesser wines go into the second label Carmes de Rieussec, named after the monks who once owned the estate.

There is also a dry white, made from non-botrytised grapes, a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc of which 20% is fermented in new oak, called R de Rieussec. There are approximately 10000 cases of wine produced overall.

I have recently tasted the 2004 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has medium gold color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, with pronounced intensity aromas, showing stone fruit of apricot, citrus fruit of orange marmalade, dried fruit of sultana, maturity notes of honey, sweet spice of cinnamon, oak notes of caramel, kernel notes of cream, and floral notes of honeysuckle. The wine is developing.

Palate

Sweet with medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium alcohol and full body, with has medium (+) intensity flavors of tropical fruit of mango, stone fruit of apricot, citrus fruit of lemon zest, oak notes of caramel and cedar, dried fruit of sultana. The wine has a long finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality Sauternes with an intense nose showing good range of aroma characters, the wine has good acidity to balance the sweetness, providing a refreshing palate of structure and elegance. Good concentration with a long finish, the wine is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.