2001

Château Rieussec

AOC Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

The vintage

The conditions were exceptional at the end of the ripening process and for the harvests. The botrytis was wonderful, consistent and developed rapidly on very ripe grapes. An incredible event occurred whereby the whole of the vineyard was transformed from a golden yellow color to the purple of botrytis within three days. An Indian summer, reasonable light rain, strong east/south-east wind all constituted in making this vintage an exceptional one.
The selective harvesting of the grapes took place in 3 main stages: from 17 to 27 September for the first cleaning selection, followed by another between 3 and 10 October and the last one from 11 to 25 October. The weather conditions were exceptional for the harvest in October.

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 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 24 months.

Grapes

96,50 %

Sémillon

3,50 %

Sauvignon blanc

Tasting

The color is lightly golden and has aged very little.
The nose is powerful and dominated by apricot and candied melon notes.
In the mouth the attack is delicate and full of finesse. It then develops in volume and an amazing sensation arises in the mouth. The candied melon notes prevail, and are combined with orange zest and gingerbread.
The balance between acidity and liquor is so perfect that the sugar totally disappears. This very rare perception can only be experienced with exceptional Sauternes.