Wine Advisor
Rayne Vigneau 2010
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Pale straw with an orange tinge. Knockout nose offers tangerine, spicy orange jam, custard cream and caramel aromas. Very sweet but nicely balanced, with strong marmaladey botrytis complicating the pineapple, banana and citrus flavors. Finishes smooth and long, with a refreshing citrus note.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2010 Rayne-Vigneau has an intense and slightly petrolly bouquet, scents of frangipane, quince and wax resin, more honeyed aromas developing with time. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, good tension here with stem ginger lending another dimension on the finish. Excellent. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Rayne-Vigneau 2010 appears to come on leaps and bounds since its showing in barrel, displaying the chutzpah that I hoped would develop. It has an endearing bouquet with delicate scents of lemon curd, orange peel and a touch of coconut, exhibiting good levels of botrytis. The palate is very smooth on the entry with good acidity, honeyed and lightly spiced fruit and an elegant finish. This is a straight, down-the-line, delicious Sauternes that should elicit pleasure over the next two or three decades. Drink now-2035.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Medium lemon-gold in color, the 2010 Rayne-Vigneau features notions of lemon curd, preserved kumquats, quince paste and spice cake with suggestions of wild mushrooms and honeycomb. The palate reveals generous layers and decadent richness with well-poised freshness and a long and mineral-tinged finish.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Chateau Rayne-Vigneau shows a slight chalkiness on the nose that remains very tight despite coaxing from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with mango, guava and passion fruit on the entry, broadening out nicely across the palate with a spicy edge, although the finish is, at present, just a little too linear, when I expected fireworks. Hopefully this will develop more volume and chutzpah in barrel.
About the Producer
Located in the Sauternes region of Bordeaux, France, Château de Rayne Vigneau is a Premier Cru in the 1855 Classification of Sauternes and Barsac. Chateau de Rayne Vigneau dates back to the 17th century and was originally called Vigneau de Bomme, the name of the village of Bomme where the estate is located, plus the name of the Vigneau family who owned it. The name of Gabriel de Vigneau, then owner of the estate, already appears in a document dating from 1635. Gabriel's son, Etienne de Vigneau, married Jeanne Sauvage, the daughter of the owner of Chateau d'Yquem, and took over the affairs of the Vigneau in 1681. In 1834, Madame de Rayne bought the estate. Under Madame de Rayne's careful management, the château was awarded a First Growth in the official Sauternes and Barsac classification in 1855. In 1961, the vineyards and equipment were sold and the château, outbuildings and gardens were preserved. From 2004 to 2015, Rayne de Vigneau was part of CA Grands Crus, a subsidiary of the Credit Agricole Group, and during this time, under the direction of Anne Le Naour, the overall quality of the wines was greatly improved. Today, Château Vignon is a property of the Tresor du Patrimoine group and is managed by its manager Vincent Labergere and oenological consultant Denis Dubourdieu. The vineyard is ideally located on a hill overlooking the Sauternes region and covers 84 hectares with vines of an average age of 30 years. The soil of the vineyard consists of clay and gravel. The vineyard is planted with 74% Semillon, 24% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle. Influenced by the Ciron and Garonne rivers, the vineyards are often blessed with morning fog in late summer and early autumn, which allows the growth of Botrytis Cinerea. The infection of the grapes with Botrytis cinerea further concentrates the sugars and flavours in the fruit, making the wines produced by the estate even sweeter and more aromatic. The winery takes great care in the production of its Sauternes sweet white wines. At Chateau de Rayne Vigneau, the grapes are hand-picked to ensure that each grape is picked in perfect condition by the noble rot bacteria. In accordance with traditional procedures, the grapes are then hand-selected. In the winery, the meticulous craftsmanship of the vineyard naturally extends to the winery, where the grapes undergo a rigorous secondary screening process on the sorting table before being pressed and then fermented and aged in oak barrels with a 40%-50% new barrel ratio. Chateau de Rayne Vigneau currently produces four wines. The main wine is the Chateau de Rayne Vigneau, Sauternes, France, which has become a model of quality in Sauternes, with its freshness, aromatic intensity and long aftertaste. The secondary wine, Madame de Rayne, Sauternes, France, named in honour of Madame Rayne's contribution to the estate, has a more feminine and approachable style than the main wine. The estate also produces two other wines, Le Sec de Rayne Vigneau, Bordeaux, France, and Gold de Rayne Vigneau, Sauternes, France, a sweet white wine.
