Chateau RAYNE VIGNEAU 1997
Château de Rayne Vigneau is located in Bommes in the Sauternes appellation, in the Bordeaux wine region. It was classified Premier Cru Classé in the 1855 classification of Sauternes and Barsac. Château de Rayne Vigneau (neighboring Lafaurie-Peyraguey to the northeast and La Tour Blanche to the southwest) has a history dating back to the 17th century when it was originally named Vigneaux de Bommes by founder Gabriel de Vigneau . The estate has belonged to the Trésor du Patrimoine group since 2015 and is managed by Vincent Labergère . The vineyard extends over 84 hectares on a mound made up of Garonne gravel on a clay base. The vines are ideally located to be influenced by the morning mists created by the confluence of the Ciron and Garonne rivers, necessary for the grapes to be affected by botrytis, the noble rot necessary for the production of Sauternes.
The harvest is carried out by successive selections so as to harvest the bunches only once they have been perfectly botrytised. The grapes are again sorted in the cellar, then pressed before fermentation in barrels. The wines age in 40-50% new oak barrels for 12-18 months before being blended and bottled.
The 1997 vintage for Sauternes and Barsac was excellent. Spring was warm but saw frost which caused damage. A hot and humid month of August gave way to a dry month of September at the start of the harvest. Grapes picked earlier in the harvest tended to be ripe and juicy but unaffected by botrytis. October saw the first cases of noble rot and it was the estates that picked later that reaped the rich rewards that botrytis can bring.
Grapes: Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle