Château de Rayne Vigneau 1996

97: Barrel sample (18/20): full, appealing bouquet; mirabelles, primroses, honey. Mouth-filling body, lots of juice and suppleness, ripe extract, very ripe fruit aromatics and perfectly integrated barrique. A great Rayne-Vigneau in the style of the ’90. 99: Since the barrel sample, it hasn’t lost a shred of its fascination and is likely among the best 1996 Sauternes: wonderful botrytis note laced with white pepper, primroses and light honey. On the palate delicate, finely structured, with a fine peach note on the finish. A great wine for lovers of fine, delicate Sauternes that aren’t overly heavy. 18/20 2002–2040

Lush, broad, sweet bouquet with pistachio and honey. Broad, full palate with fine bitterness, generous sweetness, and little acidity. Dry finish. 17/20 drink - 2025

Yellow-green color. Bright. Nose of medium intensity. Rum baba. Spices. Ginger. Mellow, fruity, the palate develops with tasty notes of candied fruit and gingerbread, but lacks depth and complexity on the finish. Medium length. I expected more.

This wine reveals a honeyed melon and pineapple-scented nose, medium body, and fine purity and ripeness. Drink it over the next 10–15 years. This wine is an uninspiring, mainstream, blatantly commercial example of Sauternes.

The 1996 Château de Rayne-Vigneau has a very basic nose with tinned peaches and fig, though it is missing genuine botrytis expression and comes across a bit mundane as a result. The palate is balanced but it is missing complexity and feels a bit monotone on the finish. This might have been good a decade or more ago, but it feels as if it has run out of puff. Tasted at the Rayne-Vigneau vertical at the property.