Sauternes

2007

1er cru Classe

Region: Bordeaux

ESTATE HISTORY

Château 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 Château Vigneau. Château 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 Château Meyney in St Estephe and Château 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.

TERROIR

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.

VITICULTURE

Sustainable farming

WINEMAKING

To produce the wine of Château 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.

TASTING & FOOD PAIRINGS

Sweet desserts - Blue-veined cheese