Carmes de Rieussec

History

In the history, and particularly in the 18th century, Domaine de Rieussec belonged to the monks of the Carmelites of Langon. The confiscation of the Domain to the revolution led to its sale in 1790 as “National Good” to Mr. Marheilhac, owner at the time of Château La Louvière in Léognan. In the 1855 classification, Mr. Mayne is the owner. The quality of the Rieussec terroir is recognized as the Premier Cru Classé of Sauternes and Barsac.

From this date, the history of Château Rieussec is dotted with changes of ownership. Château Rieussec was acquired by the Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) in 1984, the estate then had 110 ha including 68 ha of vines. To better express the Château’s potential, rigorous measures are put in place with, among other things, more meticulous grain sorting and fermentation in barrels, which allows a much finer selection during the blending of the great wine. Carmes de Rieussec is the second wine of the property. The name Carmes de Rieussec refers to the monks of the Carmelites of Langon, owners of the estate of Rieussec in the eighteenth century.

Terroir

The terroir of Château Rieussec is one of the most important properties of Sauternes, the vineyards cover 93 ha of land of gravel, felted with silt. The grape variety is 90% Sémillon, supplemented by 7% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Muscadelle. From the year 2000, the renovation of aging cellars, the construction of a fermentation cellar and the technological evolution of the reception and pressing room also make an additional contribution to the ongoing qualitative effort since 1985. The techniques used are traditional in Sauternes and the grape harvests are done in several successive sorts according to the state of ripening of the grapes.

The traditional reference of a vine to produce a bottle of wine in Médoc is here rather a vine producing a glass of wine! Over the years, the production equipment has undergone successive renovations and modernizations, including the construction in 2000 of a new barrel cellar. In addition, very regular and high quality qualitative assessments are carried out. The cellars are located in the heart of the Château Rieussec vineyard in Fargues. Each sorting from a well-identified plot is isolated in a batch of barrels to appreciate its ability to enter or not into the great wine after the end of fermentations. Each vintage is aged in oak barrels mainly from the Domaines cooperage and half renewed each year.

Tasting

At the tasting, Carmes de Rieussec offers a nice aromatic range with a dominant citrus palette.

Their Team

• Owners : Domaines Barons de Rothschild
• Technical Director: Olivier TREGOAT
• Cellar Master: Serge LAGARDERE
• Vineyard Manager: Jean DE ROQUEFEUIL