Château de Rayne-Vigneau is a sweet white wine ranked as Premier Cru Classé (French, “First Growth”) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. Belonging to the Sauternes appellation in Gironde, in the region of Graves, the winery is located in Bommes.

History

Rayne Vigneau’s vineyard lies on a splendid gravel mound, overlooking Sauternes near the village of Bommes and forming the third highest point in the area after Yquem. These slopes have seen a dozen generations take charge of this estate since it was founded by Gabriel de Vigneau in the early 17th century. Madame de Rayne, née Catherine de Pontac, bought the Domaine du Vigneau in 1834. Under her ownership, the estate reached the envied rank of premier Grand Cru Classé of Sauternes in the famous 1855 classification. Albert de Pontac, great nephew of Madame de Rayne, named the domain “Rayne Vigneau”. Significant investments and a considerable amount of work have been done by the successive owners for the quality of the wines. Today, Château de Rayne Vigneau is a true benchmark for the Sauternes appellation. Its style, intensely fresh and long, stands out vintage after vintage. It is a rare and singular wine. The legend says that its amazingly deep golden colour is an expression of its soil, rich in precious stones.

In 2015, the estate is bought by the group Trésor du Patrimoine.

Vineyards

Chateau de Rayne Vigneau is a large, 84 hectare Sauternes vineyard planted to 74% Semillon, 24% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle. The terroir is sand, clay, gravel, rocks and stone soils located on a plateau. The vineyard reaches 75 meters at its peak, giving it one of the highest elevations in the Sauternes appellation.

Wines

On average, close to 10,000 cases of wine are produced here each year. There is a second wine, Madame de Rayne. In addition, the estate also produces Clos l’Abeilley, which is made from a parcel selection. Chateau de Rayne Vigneau also produces a small amount of wine from 100% Semillon, Gold de Rayne and a dry, white Bordeaux wine, Le sec de Rayne Vigneau, which comes from a specific 7 hectare parcel of 100% Sauvignon Blanc.