Château Rieussec is a sweet white wine ranked as
Premier Cru
Cru is a wine term used to indicate a high-quality vineyard or group of vineyards. It is a French word which is traditionally translated as "growth", as is the past participle of the verb "croître" (to grow); it literally means 'grown'. The t ...
Classé (French, “First Growth”) in the original
Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855
The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines that were to be on display for visitors from ...
. Belonging to the
Sauternes appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...
in
Gironde, in the region of
Graves, the winery is located in the commune of
Fargues.
History
The Rieussec estate was the property of the monks of
Carmes de Langon in the 18th century. Following the
French revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
, church property was confiscated by the state and auctioned off. In about 1790, Rieussec was bought in this fashion by a Mr. Marheilhac, who at this time was also the owner of
Château La Louvière in Léognan.
[Château Rieussec: History](_blank)
accessed 2012-04-22 The owner at the time of the 1855 classification, when Rieussec was classified a first growth, was a Mr. Mayne. After that, Rieussec had a long succession of owners: Charles Crepin bought in around 1870, Paul Defolie in 1892, Mr. Edgar Bannel a well known banker of Bordeaux in 1907, the Gasqueton family (also owners of
Château Calon-Ségur in Saint Estèphe), the American P. F. Berry (brother-in-law of the Vicomte de Bouzet) during the war, Mr. Balaresque in 1957 and Albert Vuillier in 1971.
In 1984, Rieussec was bought by Domaines Barons de Rothschild, the owners of
Château Lafite Rothschild. The Rothschilds invested in a new cellar in 1989, and strove to increase quality by better selection of the grapes, which also led to reduced production in the 1990s. In the 1993 vintage, one of three difficult Bordeaux vintages in a row, no Château Rieussec ''grand vin'' was produced at all out of quality considerations. One of the more recent recognitions for quality was when Château Rieussec 2001 was selected as
Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year in 2004.
Production
The vineyards of Château Rieussec convers and border on those of
Château d'Yquem
Château d'Yquem () is a '' Premier Cru Supérieur'' ( Fr: "Superior First Growth") wine from the Sauternes, Gironde region in the southern part of the Bordeaux vineyards known as Graves. In the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Ch ...
in the west. They are planted to 90%
Sémillon
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in France and Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region Sauternes AOC and Barsac AOC.
History
The Sémil ...
, 7%
Sauvignon and 3%
Muscadelle
Muscadelle is a white wine grape variety. It has a simple aroma of grape juice and raisins like grapes of the Muscat family of grapes, but it is unrelated.
DNA analysis has indicated that Muscadelle is a cross between Gouais blanc and an unid ...
.
Four wines are produced, of which three from the Sauternes appellation: the classified growth Château Rieussec, the
second wine
Second wine or second label (French: ''Second vin'') is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from '' cuvee'' not selected for use in the ''Grand vin'' or first label. In some cases a third wine or ev ...
Carmes de Rieussec, and Château de Cosse. Furthermore, a dry white wine from the
Bordeaux AOC
In the Bordeaux wine region there are seven regional '' Appellations d'origine contrôlée'' (AOCs) that may be used throughout the Gironde department. These are Bordeaux Rouge AOC, Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge, Bordeaux Clairet, Bordeaux Rosé, Borde ...
, is produced under the name « R » de Rieussec, using a blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, and 20% new oak.
Château Rieussec is aged from 16 to 26 months in barrel, depending on the vintage, typically using 55% new barrels.
[Château Rieussec: The wines: Château Rieussec](_blank)
accessed 2012-04-22
Average total production is around 10 000 cases annually,
Château Rieussec: The Cellar
accessed 2012-04-22 of which about 6 000 cases Château Rieussec. There was no production in 1993 and half the average production in 2000.
References
External links
Château Rieussec official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rieussec, Chateau
Bordeaux wine producers