Château Sigalas-Rabaud, previously also named Château Rabaud-Sigalas, is a Bordeaux wine producer in the Sauternes appellation.

History

The great terroirs of the Left Bank region of Bordeaux were discovered during the XVIIth century by magistrates from the Parliament of Bordeaux. The RABAUD Counselor “created” 60 hectares south of the Le Ciron river. In 1832, the JULIEN Guide, the ancestor to the modern FERET, ranked the production of RABAUD at the same level as Yquem and Rayne-Vigneau. In 1863, Henri de SIGALAS bought RABAUD, classified Premier Cru in 1855. Though the property was in bad condition, he brought it his ability, his availability, and his name. When he died in 1895, Henri, a widower, had renovated the vineyard, which although being heterogeneous, held its rank in the list of wines available from Bordeaux trading companies.

Fast forward to the 2000s. Equipped with a strong academic background acquired in Montpellier Supagro and the School of Oenology of Bordeaux, Laure de LAMBERT COMPEYROT took the lead in 2006. As the granddaughter of Marie-Antoinette de SIGALAS, she represents the sixth generation since 1863. She takes care of the vineyard with passion. Concerned to maintain plant biodiversity as remarkable as the terroir, she has returned to the traditional method of mechanical tilling for weed management instead of herbicide treatments. Since her entry, the fame and quality of Château Sigalas Rabaud has continued to grow. Through her efforts, in 2016 it received the certification of “High Environmental Value”. Married and the mother of 3 children, recently her two sons created a start-up wine trading company and she is very proud.

Vineyards

Sigalas-Rabaud has 14.25 hectares of vineyards, planted with 85% Sémillon, 14% Sauvignon blanc and 1% Muscadelle. The average yield is 17 hectoliter per hectare.

Wines

Château Sigalas-Rabaud produces three wines: The Château Sigalas-Rabaud Grand Vin, a Sauternes; A second wine called Lieutenant de Sigalas, also a Sauternes; A dry white wine called Demoiselle de Sigalas, a Bordeaux Blanc. Annual production is around 30 000 bottles. Château Sigalas-Rabaud spends 18–24 months in new oak barrels before bottling. The proportion of the production that goes into the second wine depends on the quality of the vintage, and has varied between 0% and 34% in recent years. 

The name of the second wine has been Lieutenant de Sigalas since 2004; before that it was known as Cadet de Sigalas. The first vintage of the dry white wine Demoiselle de Sigalas was 2009, and it was composed of 50% Sémillon and 50% Sauvignon blanc.