Wine Advisor
Rieussec 2001
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Château Rieussec 2001 has a deep golden colour. The bouquet offers marmalade, quince jus and yellow flowers. It has fine definition, if not the killer precision of a top vintage, though the oak appears to have been assimilated since I last tasted it. There is something almost Germanic here, like a Beerenauselese! The palate is unctuous on the entry with kumquat, quince and barley sugar, almost Barsac-like in style leading to an unctuous finish that is long in the mouth, but does not quite have the detail and delineation of the 2005 tasted blind alongside.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This is still an awesome Sauternes with a vivacious, honeyed nose that has barely got out of diapers to be quite honest. Brilliant definition one that is yes, redolent of Yquem ‘01. The palate is beautifully balanced with spine-tingling acidity and purity with exquisite focus. It will show fabulous mineralite on the finish with a faint touch of spice. This is all about precision but it needs years. A thrilling Rieussec! Drink 2015-2040+ Tasted September 2008.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A monumental example of Sauternes, with extraordinary classicism, great definition, and tremendous reserves of unctuously-textured honeysuckle, peach, and other tropical fruit characteristics, this massive, full-bodied 2001 is long, layered, and compelling. The finish goes on for nearly 60 seconds. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the IMW Lafite seminar in London. The 2001 Rieussec has a very intense bouquet with lifted notes of lime cordial, tropical fruit, light honey and a touch of coconut, that patina of new oak very strong and rendering it very Yquem-like. The palate has a sweet almond and Turkish Delight-tinged entry. For me, it is just a little oaky (50-60% new) although there is very good weight and intensity. It just seems to miss personality and tension towards the honeycomb and almond paste finish. I remember being more astounded by this a few years ago, but that oak needs to become more assimilated into the wine. Tasted February 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A monumental effort, the 2001 Rieussec boasts a light to medium gold color in addition to a fabulous perfume of honeysuckle, smoky oak, caramelized tropical fruits, creme brulee, and Grand Marnier. The wine is massive and full-bodied yet neither over the top nor heavy because of good acidity. With intense botrytis as well as a 70-75-second finish, this amazing Sauternes will be its apogee between 2010-2035.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A lucid pale honey hue. The nose is understated, perfumed with scents of acacia honey, apple, white flowers with a minerality underpinning it all. The palate is very intense, full-bodied, layers of botrytised, honeyed fruit with a tang of marmalade, fig and peach. There is a real crescendo of flavors towards the finish, which has a spicy tang. Very engaging and multi-faceted. Needs another ten years cellaring to show its true potential but this really is not that far behind the imperious Yquem 2001. Tasted November 2006. Drinking 2016-2050.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A lucid pale honey hue. The nose is understated, perfumed with scents of acacia honey, apple, white flowers with a minerality underpinning it all. The palate is very intense, full-bodied, layers of botrytised, honeyed fruit with a tang of marmalade, fig and peach. There is a real crescendo of flavors towards the finish, which has a spicy edge to it. Very engaging and multi-faceted. Needs another ten years cellaring to show its true potential. Tasted November 2006.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
No tasting note given.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2001 Rieussec is a blend of 96.5% Semillon and 3.5% Sauvignon Blanc picked between 17 September and 25 October in three tries. This is a somewhat controversial wine, one I have tasted many times. It seemed to flare with brilliance in its youth and subsequently never replicated that performance. Here, it has a mature nose with dried honey, yellow flowers and honeysuckle, the palate well balanced with ripe dried mango and orange rind notes, though it does not possess the same killer delineation as the 2005 on the finish. It remains a lovely Sauternes, but in this vertical tasting, I found more nervosité in the 2005, at least at this stage. The question is whether it will have a second wind later in life? Time will tell. Tasted April 2016.
About the Producer
Located in the Sauternes region of Bordeaux, France, Chateau Rieussec is renowned for its rich, sweet, noble-rotted white wines. In the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification, Château Rieussec was ranked at the top of the Sauternes classification pyramid, along with 10 other prestigious Sauternes chateaux as Premier Grand Cru Classe. In the 18th century, Chateau Rieussec was the property of the Carmelite monks of Langon. At the time of the Revolution, the Château was sold as "national property" to Mr Marheilhac, and in 1855, when the appellation's wines were classified, Château Les Cayes was owned by Mr Mayne. In this year, Château Les Gouttes was classified as a Grand Cru of Sauternes and Barsac for its excellent terroir. Over the next hundred years, the Château changed hands several times, under the management of Charles Crepin, Paul Defolie, the Gasqueton family and Albert Vuillier, who had a passion for Sauternes sweet wines. In 1984, Chateau Rieussec became part of the Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite estate and thus ushered in a period of significant growth. In order to exploit the full potential of this terroir, the Lafite group took a number of measures, such as the construction of a new cellar and winery, and the modernisation of the grape selection and pressing rooms. In addition, in order to guarantee the quality of the wines, the winery set higher standards for the raw materials used in the production of the wines, and as a result, the production of the main wines was significantly reduced from the 1990s onwards, and in 1993 production was stopped because the quality standards were not met. These measures have led to a major step forward in the quality of the wines and to the production of excellent wines. The vineyards of Chateau Rieussec are located in the hills of Sauternes and Fargues, adjacent to Chateau d'Yquem to the east. One of the largest wineries in Sauternes, Château Les Gouttes has 93 hectares of vineyards alone. The vineyards are planted with the typical Sauternes grape varieties, mainly Semillon, but also 7% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Muscadelle. In terms of vineyard management, Château Lafite Les Grands Crus follows the Sauternes tradition of picking the grapes in batches according to their ripeness and the growth of the noble rot grapes. The manual rotational harvesting operation usually lasts from September to November, over a period of 6 to 8 weeks. The selection process is rigorous in order to produce the finest Sauternes noble rot white wines and the grapes are fermented in different batches of oak barrels depending on the plot. After fermentation, the winemaking team tastes the wines in barrels several times to determine which wines have the potential to become full-fledged wines. The wines are then matured in oak barrels for between 16 and 26 months, with frequent decanting and topping up. Finally, the bottling process takes place in the château. It is worth noting that the oak barrels are sourced from Lafite's own cooperage and that half of the old barrels are renewed each year. Chateau Rieussec (Sauternes, France) is the estate's signature wine. It is considered to be one of the best Sauternes sweet white noble rot wines, with a clever combination of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Miscadelle. The annual production of this wine varies considerably depending on the vintage - in years with unfavourable weather conditions, such as 1977, 1993 and 2012, the estate abandoned this wine; in years when the weather was favourable, the wine was quite good, for example, the more recent vintages 2014 to 2017 were awarded a high score of 95+ by the Robert Parker Team. Robert Parker Team scores of 95+. The Carmes de Rieussec (Sauternes, France) is a secondary wine of the estate, made to the same standards as the main wine. This sweet white Jumbo is full-bodied and rich in aromas, with a rich citrus aroma on the palate and a complex and fresh style. Chateau Rieussec also offers a dry white wine, R de Rieussec, Bordeaux, France, 20% of which is fermented in oak barrels, with a fruity and refreshing bouquet and a small production.
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Package Size
12 x 75cl
