Château de Rayne Vigneau (2010)

About this wine

Château de Rayne Vigneau is a Premier Cru Classé from the 1855 Sauternes classification, based in Bommes on a high gravel rise in the appellation. The 2010 is typically built on about 80 percent Sémillon with about 20 percent Sauvignon Blanc, a classic mix that balances richness with lift. Like all Sauternes, it is made from late harvested grapes affected by noble rot, which concentrates sweetness while keeping complex fruit and spice tones. In the glass it leans toward apricot, pineapple and citrus marmalade, with honey, almond paste and acacia like floral notes. The palate is unctuous but not heavy, with a fresh, racy acidity that keeps the sweetness in check and extends the finish. Fermentation and aging in French oak barrels, often around 18 months with a significant portion new, adds gentle vanilla and toasted coconut accents without taking over.

About the grape

Sémillon is an old Bordeaux grape that became the backbone of Sauternes because its relatively thin skins and tight bunches can develop Botrytis cinerea in the Ciron and Garonne autumn mists, concentrating sugars for these sweet wines. At Château de Rayne Vigneau, the 2010 bottling is built mainly on Sémillon with Sauvignon Blanc as the supporting partner, coming from estate vineyards on a high gravelly ridge over clay that encourages even ripening and careful selection at harvest. Sauvignon Blanc, historically important in both Bordeaux and the Loire, is used in Sauternes in smaller proportions because it holds acidity and ripens with more aromatic lift than Sémillon, helping keep the final blend balanced. In 2010 the château lists the blend as 80 percent Sémillon and 20 percent Sauvignon Blanc, brought in through multiple hand picking passes so each variety is gathered only when the grapes reach the right level of noble rot.

Quick facts

• 🏅 It is a Sauternes Premier Cru Classé in the 1855 Bordeaux classification, putting it in the top tier of sweet wines from the region.
• ⛰️ The château sits on a mound overlooking Sauternes, with an 84 hectare single block vineyard surrounding the estate, a rare layout in Bordeaux.
• 💎 Its gravel over clay soils are famous at the property for turning up semi precious stones, including agates, onyxes, amethysts and sapphires.
• 🏛️ The château, its park and its facilities were officially listed as a French historic monument on April 19, 2004.
• 📈 The 2010 is bottled as 80 percent Sémillon and 20 percent Sauvignon Blanc, and the estate presents it as a balance driven vintage with major critic praise such as Wine Spectator 94 points.

Palate profile

Producer

Château de Rayne Vigneau traces its roots to the seventeenth century, when the de Vigneau family were lords of the manor at Bommes in Sauternes. The estate gained lasting renown when Catherine de Pontac, known as Madame de Rayne, bought the domaine in 1834 and it was later named Rayne Vigneau in her honor by her great nephew Albert de Pontac. It was ranked as a Premier Cru Classé in the 1855 Bordeaux classification for Sauternes sweet wines. After a period of division of the property in 1961, major vineyard and winery investment followed under successive owners, including CA Grands Crus from 2004 to 2015, and the Trésor du Patrimoine group thereafter. The château, park, and outbuildings also received protection as a historic monument in 2004.