1985 Château Rieussec R de Rieussec

Château Rieussec was originally owned by monks, though after the French Revolution it was confiscated from the church and sold off at public auction. In the 20th century this First Growth of the Sauternes-Barsac had numerous owners, including Albert Vuillier, who purchased the property in 1971 and many made improvements, such as increasing the use of new oak. Though the sweet dessert wines of Chateau Rieussec always had an excellent reputation, quality improved under Vuillier and the current owners, Domaines Barons de Rothschild. Located in Fargues, the chateau includes 186 acres planted to 90% Semillon, 6% Sauvignon Blanc, and 4% Muscadelle. Oak for the fermentation barrels come from the Château Lafite cooperage. About 6,000 cases of Château Rieussec are produced annually.

Bordeaux is the world’s most famous fine-wine producing region. Even non-wine drinkers recognize the names of Bordeaux’s celebrated wines, such as Margaux and Lafite-Rothschild. Located near the Atlantic coast in southwest France, the region takes its name from the seaport city of Bordeaux, a wine trading center with an outstanding site on the Garonne River and easy access to the Atlantic. Like most French wine regions, Bordeaux’s first vineyards were planted by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago, then tended by medieval monks. Aristocrats and nobility later owned the region’s best estates and today estates are owned by everyone from non-French business conglomerates to families who have been proprietors for generations. Bordeaux has nearly 280,000 acres of vineyards, 57 appellations and 10,000 wine-producing châteaux. Bordeaux is bifurcated by the Gironde Estuary into so-called “right bank” and “left bank” appellations. Bordeaux’s red wines are blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. It also makes white wines of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. There are several classification systems in Bordeaux. All are attempts to rank the estates based on the historic quality of the wines.

Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc