Description
Château de Rayne Vigneau is a Premier Cru Classé wine estate in the Sauternes appellation of southern Bordeaux, producing long-lived sweet white wines. Classified in the 1855 Classification of Sauternes and Barsac, the château is located in the center of the commune of Bommes, in the western part of the appellation.
Château de Rayne Vigneau’s land spans 84 hectares (207 acres) on a mound composed of Garonne gravels over a clay base. Vineyards are planted to 74 percent Sémillon, 24 percent Sauvignon Blanc, and two percent Muscadelle, with vines averaging 30 years old.
The vines are ideally situated to be influenced by morning mists created from the confluence of the Ciron and Garonne waterways – necessary for grapes to be affected by botrytis, the noble rot required for the production of Sauternes.
The château harvests in successive tries, or vineyard picks, to collect grape bunches only once they have been perfectly botrytised. Grapes are again sorted at the winery, and then pressed before fermentation in barrel. The wines mature in 40 to 50 percent new oak barrels for 12 to 18 months before blending and bottling.
