A great way to experience 2015!

Product information

Château Rieussec Carmes de Rieussec Sauternes 375ml 2015

Semillon from Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

$44

$41ea in any 3+
$38ea in any 6+
Closure: Cork
The 2nd Wine of Château Rieussec, Carmes has to be the absolute bargain of all Sauternes at the Moment!

Description

I hoovered a bottle of this and was blown away. Vibrant, lovely layering of fruit, beautiful poise, excellent texture with great length. Fresh Apricot, spice, hints of patisserie creams. Luscious, delicious. The quality of the 2015 vintage sees it sitting at quality levels similar to the main wine in a standard year!

Carmes de Rieussec’s name is a reference to the Carmelite monks in Langon, who owned the Rieussec estate in the 18th century.

A great way to experience 2015!

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Check out all of the wines by Château Rieussec

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

Château Rieussec was acquired by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) in 1984. The estate then consisted of 110 hectares, 68 hectares of which were vines. To enhance Château Rieussec’s potential, rigorous measures were implemented, including meticulous sorting of the grapes and fermenting in barrels, which provides a much finer selection for the blending of the Grand Vin.

A new cellar was built in 1989 to extend the ageing period in barrels. The quantities of the Grand Vin that were produced were much reduced in the 1990’s due to more meticulous selection, to the point that none at all was produced in 1993 (this was also the case in 1977 and again in 2012).

In 2000, the renovation of the maturing cellar, the construction of a fermentation room, and the modernisation of the reception and pressing areas also represented strides forward in a quality policy that was launched in 1985.

The first attempts at selection were rewarded by a remarkable trio of vintages in 1988, 1989 and 1990. This was crowned by an entire decade of very good wines from 1995 to 2005. The weather proved to be no obstacle for the remarkable vintages of 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005, among others!

Château Rieussec 2001 was declared Wine of the Year in 2004 by Wine Spectator magazine.

GRAPE VARIETIES
80 to 90% Sémillon, 5 to 10% Muscadelle and Sauvignon.

AGEING IN OAK BARRELS
18 months in barrels.

The 2015 Sauternes Vintage

We have seen a string of excellent Sauternes and Barsacs coming out of the 2015 vintage.

Dry and Sweet Whites – The dry whites have turned out better than I expected. The best 2015s have terrific freshness and energy coupled with the mid-palate richness that was born from the warm, dry summer. As good as the dry whites are, the sweet whites are even better. Grace, depth without excess weight and terrific freshness are the signatures of the best wines from Sauternes and Barsac. Antonio Galloni

Drinking Sauternes

👶🏻👴🏻Uncommonly rich and fresh, the wines of Sauternes and Barsac can be enjoyed either young or old. The Carmes de Rieussec is fresher with less botrytis influence than the Rieussec. Perfect for hoovering now!

🌡Young vintages are best enjoyed on the cool side (9°C), while it is preferable to serve older ones at a higher temperature (12°C). Younger wines can benefit from early decanting very old wines are worth decanting just prior to drinking them. They typically throw some harmless tartrate crystals that settle easily and are worth removing.

🧀🦆 Sauternes match so many foods from the beginning to the very end of a meal! In Bordeaux they kick off the meal with Foie Gras and Sauternes, it’s beautiful alongside poultry and any meat you’d cook with fruit. Of course, it’s delicious with fruity desserts and cheese, think blue, Comté and beyond! We had the Carmes, Rieussec’s 2nd wine, with a blood orange granita and went to a happy place.

Doc shared the story of visiting Christian Moueix of Pétrus and having a stew made for the pickers during harvest that included 3L of Sauternes in the pot! There were a lot of pickers.

🕯Sauternes can be incredibly long-lived. Bottles of Yquem from before the turn of the last century are still drinking well!

Where in the World Are They?


Play around with this interactive map of Bordeaux.

93 Points

A wine of joy and pure pleasure, the 2015 Carmes de Rieussec is absolutely delicious. Rieussec's second wine is bright and lifted, yet shows plenty of depth in its pineapple, orange peel, mint, jasmine and lightly honeyed notes. Although the Grand Vin gets most of the attention at Rieussec, the Carmes is truly superb in 2015 and well worth taking a look at.

Antonio Galloni

93 Points

Very pretty second sweet wine of Rieussec with a medium to full body and a layered and tight mouthfeel. Medium sweet and vivid. Pineapple, green papaya and mangoes. Flavorful finish. Hard not to drink now. Why not?

James Suckling

Where in the world does the magic happen?

Château Rieussec, Fargues, France

Sauternes
Bordeaux
France