Chateau Rieussec Carmes de Rieussec 2018

Carmes de Rieussec Sauternes, Château Rieussec, Bordeaux, France, 2018 

Grape Blend: 89% Semillon, 6% Muscadelle, 5% Sauvignon. 93ha vineyard on gravel & sandy-clay soil. Botrytis affected dessert wine. 89g/L residual sugar. Aged 18 months in French oak barrels.

The same owners as First Growth, Chateau Lafite Rothschild. The second label of Chateau Rieussec.

Chateau Tasting Note:

Beautiful golden colour. The nose already surprises with its delicacy. The ageing in barrels is still present but blends perfectly with the notes of apricot and candied melon. The attack is light, then the wine takes on a good amplitude to gradually fill the whole mouth. The wine is not marked by the often excessive heat of the vintage. The finish is long and precise.This is a wine that is already perfectly open and will reach its peak in about 5 years.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"A pretty second wine of Rieussec with creamy, cooked pear and apple character. Some soufflé character, too. Medium body, medium sweet and a fresh finish."

(90-91/100) points, James Suckling, JAMESSUCKLING.COM

"Pale lemon-gold colored, the 2018 Carmes de Rieussec is a little youthfully mute to begin, offering glimpses at lemon meringue pie, lime cordial and beeswax scents with touches of baking bread and marzipan. The palate is appealingly rich and packed with citrus and spice layers, finishing long and honeyed."

(89-91/100) points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, WINE ADVOCATE, April 2019