Château de Rayne Vigneau 2020

The freshness and aromatic complexity of a Sauternes Premier Grand Cru Classé

The estate

Château de Rayne Vigneau is located in the commune of Bomme, in the Sauternes appellation. Founded in the 17th century, the estate has passed through the hands of several famous families, including the Pontac family, closely linked to the fine wines of Bordeaux. Today the château belongs to the Trésor du Patrimoine group.

The vineyard

The Rayne-Vigneau vineyard covers some 84 hectares on a hill overlooking the Sauternes region. This vineyard is planted on a mosaic of terroirs. At higher altitudes, we find clayey-gravelly soils, while the vines at lower altitude are planted in clayey-sandy soils with lacustrine limestone subsoils. The vineyard is managed with a sustainable viticulture with intra-plot management.

The vintage

The 2020 vintage began with a winter marked by rain and warm temperatures. A spring with similar conditions followed. The beginning of the season was therefore characterised by its warmth and humidity, which brought about an early start to the vegetative cycle. The budding of the vines took place around March 15th. Flowering was also exceptionally early. The summer season was hot and dry, suggesting an early harvest. This was indeed the case for the Sauvignon Blanc grape, which was harvested between August 19 and September 2 at Château de Rayne Vigneau. This vintage will be remembered for its exceptional freshness and the aromatic complexity of its wines.

Vinification and ageing

As each year, the vines patiently awaited the appearance of botrytis, better known as noble rot, signalling the beginning of the harvest. The grapes were selected directly in the vineyard by hand and picked at perfect maturity. Then, each batch was pressed and the fruit vinified in new barrels. At the end of the various fermentations, settling was carried out, followed by stabilisation of the must. Finally, the wines were aged for 18 months in oak barrels, 30% of which were of new oak.

The blend

Sémillon (76%), Sauvignon Blanc (24%) and a hint of Muscadelle.