1970 | Château Sigalas Rabaud

Name: 1970, Château Sigalas Rabaud, Sauternes, Premier Cru
Brand: Thienpont Wine
SKU: 1970052-00750
Price: 72.60 EUR
Availability: InStock

Sauternes, Premier Cru

About

SKU 1970052-00750

Vintage 1970

Country France

Region Bordeaux

Château Château Sigalas Rabaud

Appellation Sauternes

Classification Premier Cru

Color White

Volume 0,75l

Grape Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc

The story

Appellation

Sauternes

Located in the south of the Bordeaux region near the town of Langon, Sauternes is a large appellation with over two thousand hectares of vineyards in the southern Graves. Only sweet wines can be made with the Sauternes appellation although dry white wines can be sold as Graves. There are five separate communes with one of these, Barsac, with just over 400 hectares of vines, having its own separate appellation. Most of the domains are small with only 20 having more than 20 hectares of vineyards.

The soils of the appellation are quite varied ranging from limestone of the higher slopes (where the classified growths are located) to sand, clay, gravel and alluvial beds. Rolling hills and valleys are a feature of the landscape located between the wide Garonne River and the smaller, wooded valley of the Ciron tributary. These two rivers have cold waters which help to produce cool morning fogs which give way to dry and sunny afternoons, perfect for the development of the botrytis cinerea, the noble rot necessary for the production of sweet wines. The highest point of the appellation is at Chateau Yquem at 80 metres.

Easily the most expensive wine to produce in Bordeaux, the Sauternes estates were classified at the same time as the Médoc chateaux in 1855. The undisputed king of the appellation is Chateau Yquem that sits at the highest point of the appellation at 80 meters. The two grapes used for the production of Sauternes are Semillon with smaller amounts of Sauvignon Blanc.

Although there are several styles of sweet wines in Sauternes, the wines of Barsac are sweeter, rounder with flavours of honey and white flowers. They tend to be lighter and fresher than Sauternes. Sauternes wines are more intense with flavours of roasted apricot and peach, vanilla, caramel and acacia. These wines can age incredibly well; they develop flavours of toasted brioche, butterscotch and white caramel. So intense are their flavours that the finish appears almost dry in its austerity. Often Sauternes does well in vintages that are not great years for red Bordeaux wines such as 2007, 2011 and 2013.

Sauternes and Barsac wines are very sweet indeed and for this reason do not pair well with desserts and puddings. They are better served with blue cheese, seafood dishes such as langoustine and lobster, nuts and are great served with the spicy, salty flavours of Asian cuisine. Our selection

Grape

Semillon

Semillon comes into its own in the great Sauternes and other sweet wines of Bordeaux. With a completely different taste profile, it is also famous for great dry white wines of impressive ageability in the Hunter Valley of Australia. It is the traditional blending partner with Sauvignon Blanc. It is fuller bodied, rounder and fatter than Sauvignon Blanc and has aromas of honey, lemon and beeswax with a soft, viscous texture.

More Semillon is grown in France than anywhere else. While it used to be planted in the New World, its popularity is declining here (except where sweet wines are made). It is its susceptibility to botrytis (the noble rot) that is probably Semillon’s key selling point, producing big yellow to golden berries when ripe that shrivel easily to make concentrated wines of great intensity. Our selection

Sauvignon Blanc

One of the fastest growing and most popular grape varieties, especially in the New World, Sauvignon Blanc is known for its very obvious aromas that range from passion fruit to boxwood. The variety is fairly easy to recognize with its grassy notes, the green hues in its colour and above all its clean, zesty acidity.   With age and with ripeness the crisp fruit (which has also been described as green pepper, nettle, gooseberry and lime blossom) can become rounder with notes of honeydew melon, pear and linden.

The grape is believed to have originated in the Loire, where it still finds its purest expression.   In the last 20 years, the variety has gone through a revolution since Denis Dubourdieu, the brilliant wine researcher and professor in Bordeaux identified the precursors of its aromas, which are sulphur compounds that become volatile when exposed to oxygen, called thiols. To preserve these thiols the grapes are usually macerated on the skins for a short period at cold temperatures before being fermented in stainless steel tanks.

The most obviously fruity, aromatic Sauvignon Blancs come from
New Zealand where the intense box tree and passion fruit notes are unmistakable.    In France, the wines are more restrained with mineral notes mixing with grassy, fruity tones. In Bordeaux the grapes are picked at full maturity, vinified in barrels and often blended with honey-scented Semillon to provide the necessary flesh before being aged in oak; these wines are capable of long age. Apart from New Zealand, the variety has had great success throughout the New World where it is prized for its intense aromas and juicy, fruity acidity. Our selection