Château Rieussec

The château

Rieussec stands at Fargues but has long sold as Sauternes, and the old books explain why. Charles Cocks and Édouard Féret, whose Bordeaux et ses vins was the reference book of the Bordeaux trade, wrote in 1868 that its slope begins at the edge of the stream where both Sauternes and the Yquem vineyard end, and that its wine has much in common with Yquem’s; they gave Crépin-Mayé 40 to 50 tonneaux (the old Bordeaux measure of a crop, 900 liters, or 4 barrels). By 1874 the estate measured 62 hectares, 36 of them under vine in one block, and the wine of 1862 had fetched 2,800 francs the tonneau, against 850 for the 1866.

The Carmelite monks of Langon held the land in the 18th century and lost it to the Revolution; the second wine, Carmes de Rieussec, is named for them. After a long line of owners, Domaines Barons de Rothschild, of Lafite, bought the estate in 1984 with Albert Frère. A new cellar followed in 1989, the fermentation and reception buildings were rebuilt in 2000, and since the 1997 vintage the wine has fermented entirely in barrel. Olivier Trégoat is technical director and Mathieu Crosnier runs the property; the company took B Corp certification in December 2023.

The vineyard is 85 hectares of sandy gravel over clay on a rise that reaches 78 meters, planted mostly to Sémillon with Sauvignon Blanc and a little Muscadelle, at 7,500 vines a hectare and grassed over entirely, a rare choice in Sauternes. The harvest runs from September into November in repeated selective passes, with sorting in the vines and pressing plot by plot in small pneumatic presses. R de Rieussec is the dry white.

What that soil can do shows with age. The 1975, which I tasted in December 2025 and again in September 2026, came from a great Sauternes year of heat, concentration and intense botrytis, and Rieussec was among the estates that made the most of it: deep in color, with marmalade, saffron and toasted nuts, and a finish in no hurry whatsoever. It is Sauternes in full glory, and a quiet reminder of a wine too few of us remember to pour.

At a glance

Appellation

Sauternes

Commune

Fargues

Classification

Premier Cru Classé 1855; Michelin Guide, 1 grape (2026)

Owner

Domaines Barons de Rothschild, of Lafite, since 1984

Direction

Olivier Trégoat, technical director; Mathieu Crosnier, estate manager

Vineyard

85 hectares; 7,500 vines a hectare; grassed over entirely; rising to 78 meters

Soil

Sandy gravel over clay Terroir of Sauternes →

Grapes

Mostly Sémillon, with Sauvignon Blanc and a little Muscadelle

Harvest

September into November, repeated selective passes, pressed plot by plot

Cellar

Fermented entirely in barrel since the 1997 vintage

Wines

Château Rieussec; Carmes de Rieussec; R de Rieussec, dry

Certification

B Corp, December 2023

In history

40 to 50 tonneaux under Crépin-Mayé in 1868; 2,800 francs the tonneau for the 1862