R de Rieussec 2024

Characteristics and tasting advice for R de Rieussec 2024

Tasting

Nose
Expressive, the nose combines fragrances of citrus, white-fleshed fruits, and delicate floral notes.

Palate
The attack is round and precise on the palate, carried by subtle oakiness. Its freshness brings tension and balance, while the finish, marked by a slight bitterness and a saline minerality, elegantly prolongs the tasting.

A great fresh and delicate dry white wine from Bordeaux

The estate

Owned by the Domaines de Barons Rothschild Lafite since 1984, Château Rieussec has been ranked alongside the Premier Crus Classés of Sauternes since 1855. The château is recognized for the quality of its sweet wines with a beautiful texture, both fresh and powerful, which magnify over time. For the estate, respect for the environment is an essential element of its philosophy. Thus, the harvests are manual, allowing almost grain by grain to pick the most beautiful fruits of the vineyard and let them express themselves in very authentic crus.

The vineyard

Located in the heart of the Sauternes vineyard, Château Rieussec is anchored on 85 hectares of sandy-clay gravel plots. There, the grape varieties sémillon, sauvignon blanc, and muscadelle slowly flourish until they reach an exceptional level of maturity that gives this famous noble rot of the appellation.

The wine

Since the 2021 vintage, the R de Rieussec is presented in an innovative bottle. Evoking the characteristic silhouette of Burgundy bottles, ESSENTIA is a PcR "Post consuming Recycled" glass bottle made from 96% recycled domestic glass. The packaging also evolves, through a compact kraft carton allowing the responsible transport of 6 bottles of this cuvée produced in Bordeaux White wines.

The vintage

The 2024 vintage is distinguished by a very rainy and mild winter, followed by a wet spring that led to high pressure from mildew, especially on the sauvignons. The flowering was disrupted by a little coulure and millerandage. The summer, hot and dry, led to slow maturation. The harvest, which began in August, was complicated by the September rains. An unprecedented event at Rieussec: the harvest of the sweet wines began at the same time as that of the dry whites, intensely mobilizing the teams.

Vinification and aging

Harvested manually in small crates, the berries are refrigerated to limit oxidation, before a gentle pressing to preserve the aromatic brightness. Cold settling then vinification of a part of the sémillon musts in new barrels and of a wine. Vinification of the sauvignon musts mainly in stainless steel tanks, as well as in barrels of a wine. Vinification in barrels then aging on lees for six months accompanied by regular stirring. Once the aging is finalized, the blending of the juices aged in stainless steel tanks (50%) and in barrels (50%) is carried out.

Blend

Sauvignon blanc (65%)
Sémillon (35%).