Sauternes · vintage 2023
Why this vintage
- 98/100 from Wine Advocateand 3 other scores above 90/100.
- The 2023 vintage in SauternesA mild, humid autumn allowed for long picking passes: balanced wines, carried by freshness.
Critic scores
- Wine Advocate98
- James Suckling98
- Decanter97
- Vinous95
The 2023 vintage in Sauternes
Vintage benchmark: 91/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)
Vintage character: A mild, humid autumn allowed for long picking passes: balanced wines, carried by freshness.
Overall reading of the year’s season across Sauternes. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.
Tasting
2023 is one of these exceptional vintages. It is distinguished by a complex nose combining notes of apricot, candied citrus zest and fresh pineapple. Floral touches of chamomile and acacia complete this very delicate bouquet. The promise of the nose is confirmed on the palate with a subtle balance between the smoothness of its texture and its great aromatic freshness. The finish presents a remarkable brightness with bittersweet notes of blood orange peel and an intense and prolonged minty freshness.
Blend of the 2023 vintage
- 89 % Sémillon
- 11 % Sauvignon blanc
Shares for this vintage, as recorded on the 2023 technical sheet. The vineyard itself is planted with sémillon, sauvignon blanc, muscadelle — a vintage blend departs from the area under vine as the year dictates.
Figures from the 2023 sheet
- 70,000 bottlesProduction
Winemaking
Upon arrival at the cellar, they are immediately pressed in small pneumatic presses. After settling, the musts are funneled into barrels for fermentation (new for Sémillon, from one wine for Sauvignon). Each plot is pressed and vinified separately. Alcoholic fermentation is interrupted as soon as the desired balance between alcohol and sugar is reached.
Ageing
At the end of fermentation, the wines are kept on the lees and stirred regularly until mid-December. After a rest period, the wines are racked and blended before being put back into barrels for ageing for approximately 18 months.
Terroir
The vineyard of Château Rieussec lies at the junction of Fargues and Sauternes, adjoining Château d'Yquem. Rieussec is one of the largest estates in Sauternes; its vines cover 93 ha of gravel soils overlaid with a fine layer of silt. Sémillon, the emblematic grape variety of Sauternes, dominates (90%), complemented by Sauvignon (7%) and Muscadelle (3%). Production is small and varies at the whim of nature: the traditional benchmark in the Médoc of one vine yielding one bottle of wine is here closer to one vine yielding a single glass!
An offer on Château Rieussec 2023
Availability, allocations and terms: the Compagnie Médocaine will reply promptly. The estate and vintage are already filled in in the message.
Texts and documents 2023
The texts below copy in one click for your product sheets, catalogues and social channels. The printable sheet condenses the whole page onto a single A4 page.
Visuals
For this vintage, the media library contains: packshots. High-definition packshots, labels, back labels and lifestyle photos are reserved for clients and partners, on the Compagnie Médocaine’s VinCod media library.
Sheet checked on September 21, 2026. Technical data: the estate’s VinCod sheets. Critic scores: sources cited above, with their date. Vintage benchmarks and character: Compagnie Médocaine’s own editorial read. Soils and relief, where shown: the Compagnie Médocaine’s parcel survey and the Mapbox/IGN terrain model.