Château Gilette

The estate

Château Gilette is 4.5 hectares in the center of the village of Preignac, its vines enclosed by walls that shelter them from the prevailing winds and, in years that are too dry, hold the mists that noble rot needs. 15 to 20 regular pickers of the Gonet-Médeville family pick only perfectly shriveled grapes, chosen berry by berry and laid in small crates. Then the wine waits 15 to 18 years in vat, a slow aging meant to give it the richness, volume and intensity of a mature wine without oxidation. The family calls Gilette “the antique dealer of Sauternes.”

The family’s other Sauternes, Château Les Justices, also at Preignac, covers 8.5 hectares of clay and limestone over rock near the Ciron, planted 85% Sémillon, 10% Sauvignon and 5% Muscadelle, with vines 40 years old on average; it is picked in successive passes and aged 2 years in oak barrels before release.

At a glance

Appellation

Sauternes

Commune

Preignac, in the center of the village

Classification

No classification

Owners

The Gonet-Médeville family

Vineyard

4.5 hectares, walled

Cellar

Picked berry by berry; 15 to 18 years in vat before bottling

The house

Also Château Les Justices, Sauternes, 8.5 hectares

Sources: Vignobles Gonet-Médeville, Château Gilette · Vignobles Gonet-Médeville, Château Les Justices