Château Rieussec 2022

Bright lemon, floral orange blossom and fleshy peach – juicy, with caramelised edges and soft touches of salty minerality that provide a nice contrast. Unctuous and rich, lacking a touch more vibrancy and zing at this stage, but smooth, focused, with great density and overall sweetness.

The 2022 Rieussec has a well defined bouquet with wild honey, pine, light peach and honeyed scents, more orange pith with time. The palate is well balanced with a patina of oak, a fine bead of acidity, quite linear with admirable purity on the finish. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.

Intense and concentrated, orange blossom, truffle, citrus confit, marmalade, a luscious Rieussec from a vintage where Sauternes had to be patient for the noble rot to arrive. Estate director Jean de Roquefeuille has left Rieussec, and is now at Domaine d'Aussières (also DBR Lafite) in the Languedoc, with the Sauternes property now headed up by Mathieu Crosnier. New bottle shape also since the (excellent quality) 2019 vintage.

Exuberance is not really Rieussec’s priority, and this 2022 emphatically reminds us of that. It focuses on finesse and detail, while highlighting the vintage’s complexity and generosity on both the nose and the palate. The bouquet reveals subtle, deep nuances where freshness leads the wine. Notes of acacia blossom, orange zest, mandarin and lemongrass intertwined with candied nuances underscore both freshness and ripeness. On the palate, Rieussec reasserts its focus on precision, integrated sweetness and temperament. All of this is linked to an austerity that crystallizes freshness, salinity and vibrancy. A wine of character that shows long-term ambition, yet does not exclude epicureans attuned to the present moment. In short, it is contemporary but does not deny its traditional style.

An already coppery colour. A moderately intense, fruity nose. Broad on the attack, flavourful on the mid-palate, rich and aromatic, the wine develops with a touch of bitterness and toasted wood on the finish.

Natural cork closure. Tasted blind. Lighter body and less sweet than most, but good and interesting balance. (JR)