2019 Château Rieussec, Sauternes, Bordeaux
Critics reviews
Pale lemon-gold in color, the 2019 Rieussec flaunts a delicately scented nose of fresh grapefruit, lemon curd, lime leaves and clover honey with wafts of jasmine, white truffles and nutmeg. The palate slowly builds, revealing layers of apple and citrus fruits with loads of savory accents, framed by refreshing acidity and a seductively oily texture, finishing on a lingering honey-nut note.
Drink 2025 - 2055
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate (Sep 2020)
89% Sémillon, 9% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Muscadelle. Barrel sample. Bright gold. Pear and citrus aromas. Sweet, full and concentrated. Big and dense with plenty of reserve but perhaps a bit too much? Faint bitter botrytised finish.
Drink 2027 - 2045
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com (Jun 2020)
This is so delicious, with a medium body with medium sweetness. Dried mango and pineapple, as well as some vanilla. Bright and fresh. Lighter than some years. Yummy. Tarte-tartin. Love the new bottle. Drink and enjoy.
James Suckling, jamessuckling.com (Jan 2022)
This is the 2019, because Rieussec is no longer showing En Primeur but instead when it is in bottle. Marmalade and bitter orange peel is totally gorgeous, and this is one of the best Rieussec's that I can remember. A ton of juicy minerality, not overly concentrated but full of fresh pineapple and white mango, white peach and pear. 120g/l residual sugar. A brilliant Rieussec with so much personality and a full, rich texture through the mid palate.
Drink 2021 - 2045
Jane Anson, decanter.com (May 2021)
About this WINE
Chateau Rieussec
Château Rieussec is one of the richest and most exotic of all Sauternes, producing particularly good wines in the late 1980s and the mid 1990s. Rieussec has been owned by Domaines Barons de Rothschild since 1985 and is located at one of the highest points of Sauternes in the village of Fargues where its vineyards border those of Château d`Yquem.
Rieussec's 75 hectares of vineyards are planted with 89% Sémillon, 8% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Muscadelle. Yields are low and the grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks and oak casks before being matured in oak barriques (70% new) for 18-24 months.
Rieussec produces a classic full-bodied Sauternes that is deep golden-yellow in colour and packed with lusciously sweet, honeyed fruits. Classsfied as a 1er Cru Classé, its best vintages rival those from d`Yquem.
Sauternes
Sauternes is where arguably the world's finest sweet white wines are produced. The Sauternes appellation actually consists of five communes: Barsac, Preignac, Bommes, Fargues and Sauternes itself. Barsac is also an appellation in its own right.
Sauternes literally has an atmosphere different from any of the other major communes. At the southern tip of the Graves,close to the Garonne, not only is the land hillier and decidedly more bucolic but it also enjoys a specific mesoclimate of evening autumn mists which linger until well into the following day, unless burnt off by warm sunshine.
The mists are caused by the cool, spring-fed waters of the Ciron River meeting the warmer tidal Garonne, and the result is an ideal environment for the growth of the mould botrytis cinerea. When its arrival is felicitous, it feeds on the water in the ripe grapes, dehydrating them and leaving sweet, shriveled fruit.Other regions in Bordeaux (ie Cadillac, Loupiac) produce wines in a similar style from the same method, but none achieve the profundity and complexity of Sauternes.
Recommended Châteaux : Ch. D'Yquem, Ch. Climens (Barsac), Ch. Suduiraut, Ch. Rieussec, Sigalas- Rabaud, Ch. Coutet (Barsac), Ch. de Fargues, Ch. Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Ch. Doisy-Védrines (Barsac), Chateau Partarrieu, La Tour Blanche
Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon
The blend used for White Graves and Sauternes and rarely encountered outside France. In the great dry whites of Graves, Sauvignon Blanc tends to predominate in the blend, although properties such as Smith Haut Lafite use 100% Sauvignon Blanc while others such as Laville Haut Brion have as much as 60% Sémillon in their final blends. Sauvignon Blanc wines can lose their freshness and fruit after a couple of years in bottle - if blended with Sémillon, then the latter bolsters the wine when the initial fruit from the Sauvignon fades. Ultimately Sauvignon Blanc gives the wine its aroma and raciness while Sémillon gives it backbone and longevity.
In Sauternes, Sémillon is dominant, with Sauvignon Blanc playing a supporting role - it is generally harvested about 10 days before Sémillon and the botrytis concentrates its sweetness and dampens Sauvignon Blanc`s naturally pungent aroma. It contributes acidity, zip and freshness to Sauternes and is an important component of the blend.
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Description
This new bottle uses 95% recycled glass, and the redesigned cork allows for greater longevity of the wine once opened. The 2019 is another classic example of the fresh yet powerful Sauternes for which this four-century-old château is renowned. The nose exudes honeyed tropical fruit with underlying notes of toast and smoke. The palate is well balanced with a rich, oily texture and slightly sharper citrus fruit than on the nose, underpinned by nutmeg, sumac and peppery spice. The finish is long and complex.
Drink now to 2045
Harry Roberts, Wine & Spirits Advisor (January 2022)
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