CLOS L'ABEILLEY 2018, Sauternes (375ml)《WC Selection - FH161》

Chateau Rayne Vigneau 

You might find it hard to believe, but 200 years ago, Chateau de Rayne Vigneau was said to be the second-best producer of Sauternes. Only one vineyard was considered to make better Bordeaux wine in the appellation, Chateau d’Yquem!

Chateau de Rayne Vigneau takes its name from the phonetic sound of one of its early owners, Baron de Rayne, and another owner, Etienne du Vigneau. At the time of the 1855 Classification, the estate was known as Chateau Vigneau. Chateau de Rayne Vigneau remained in the hands of de Rayne’s ancestors from the 18th century until it was sold in 1961 to Georges Raoux.

George Raoux resold it a decade later to the Cordier Mestrezat group who later sold it to the French bank, Credit Agricole, which owns numerous Bordeaux estates as investments, including Chateau Meyney in St. Estephe and Chateau Grand Puy Ducasse in Pauillac.

In November 2015, it was announced that Credit Agricole sold a large stake in Rayne Vigneau to Tresor du Patrimoine through their wine subsidiary Vins et saveurs de France.

Tresor du Patrimoine is a massive French company that is one of the biggest producers of foie gras. It is hoped that they might eventually sell and package foie gras and Rayne Vigneau, which is a natural combination.

Chateau Rayne Vigneau Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

Chateau de Rayne Vigneau is a large, 84 hectare Sauternes vineyard planted to 74% Semillon, 24% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle. The sizeable vineyard is planted in 1 solid block of vines.

The terroir is sand, clay, gravel, rocks, and stone soils located on a plateau. The vineyard reaches 75 meters at its peak, giving it one of the highest elevations in the Sauternes appellation.

Vines average close to 30 years of age here. Interestingly, the terroir is littered with occasional deposits of semi-precious stones! The vineyard is situated next to Chateau d’Yquem, so as you can imagine, they are in a very fine location.

To produce the wine of Chateau Rayne Vigneau, after pneumatic pressing, the wine is vinified in 50% new, French oak barrels. The wine is aged in 50% new, French oak barrels for an average of 18 months. On average, close to 10,000 cases of wine are produced here each year.

Raymond-Lafon looks to be well on the roadto becoming one of the great classic wines of Sauternes. Unfortunately, thewine is extremely difficult to find because of the tiny production and the factthat proprietor Pierre Meslier sells much of it to private clients in Europe.One must wonder why this vineyard, situated next to Yquem and surrounded by allthe Premiers Crus Classés of Sauternes, was overlooked in the 1855classification.