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Chateau Rieussec 2008
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A rich and fruity Sauternes wine
The producer
Owned by the Domaines de Barons Rothschild Lafite since 1984, Château Rieussec has been ranked alongside the Sauternes Premier Crus Classés since 1855. The château is renowned for the quality of its sweet wines, which are both fresh and powerful, and improve with age. For the estate, respect for the environment is an essential part of its philosophy. Thus, the grapes are harvested by hand, allowing the vineyard’s most beautiful fruits to be picked almost one by one and to express themselves in very authentic wines.
The vineyard
Located in the heart of the Sauternes vineyard, Château Rieussec is rooted on 85 hectares of sandy-clay gravel plots. Here, the Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grape varieties slowly blossom until they reach an exceptional level of maturity, giving the appellation’s infamous noble rot.
The vintage
A cold winter preceded a spring marked by frosts which had an impact on the buds and yields. This was followed by alternating rain and mild weather until these stable and favourable conditions persisted from the beginning of September. This instability throughout growing season lead to late ripening and successive harvesting between 29 September and 14 November.
The vinification and ageing
Fermentation is carried out in barrels, as is the 26-month ageing period in 100% new barrels.
The blend
Château Rieussec 2008 is a blend of Semillon (86%), Sauvignon Blanc (12%) and Muscadelle (2%).
The tasting
Rich and smooth, this Sauternes wine is appealing with its pure and fruity expression that develops as the wine evolves over the years.
The 2008 Rieussec is a blend of 86% Semillon, 12% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle picked from 29 September until 14 November over four or five pickings. The nose seemed to have closed down since I last encountered it in 2012, quite earthy and resinous, lacking some spark. The palate is much better with sour lemon and quince on the entry, a touch of patisserie, strangely making me think of Danish pastry towards the well-defined finish. This 2008 is a little difficult to work out at the moment, perhaps overwhelmed by the succeeding vintage. Tasted April 2016.