Winemaker Notes
Blend: 93% Sémillon, 7% Sauvignon Blanc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lots of toffee at first in this wonderful Sauternes. Vanilla, apricot and pure white peach with loads of white flowers. Very pretty nose. Wonderful texture on the palate with a beautiful elegant texture and finesse. Medium sweet. Long and charming.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium lemon-gold in color, the 2010 Sigalas Rabaud leaps from the glass with notes of preserved lemons, lime cordial and apricot tart plus suggestions of paraffin wax and allspice. Concentrated and boldly fruited in the mouth, it has a racy backbone countering the seductive, densely packed layers, finishing with a citrusy lift.
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Vinous
The 2010 Sigalas Rabaud is drinking beautifully at the moment, showing much better than at the 10-Year-On tasting four years earlier. It has a lively and delineated bouquet with dried honey, saffron and light quince aromas that contain the energy that this vintage seems to imbue its sweet wines. The palate is well-balanced with a taut line of acidity, again, suffused with tension and energy, leading to a satisfyingly botrytis-rich finish. Very fine. Tasted from a bottle sent directly from Sigalas Rabaud to the UK.
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Wine Spectator
A broad, unctuous style, with toasted coconut and brioche flavors framing the creamed apricot, tangerine and mango core. Stays toasty and nutty through the thick finish, with pleasant base notes.
Sometimes light and crisp, other times rich and creamy, Bordeaux White Blends typically consist of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Often, a small amount of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris is included for added intrigue. Popularized in Bordeaux, the blend is often mimicked throughout the New World. Somm Secret—Sauternes and Barsac are usually reserved for dessert, but they can be served before, during or after a meal. Try these sweet wines as an aperitif with jamón ibérico, oysters with a spicy mignonette or during dinner alongside hearty Alsatian sausage.
Sweet and unctuous but delightfully charming, the finest Sauternes typically express flavors of exotic dried tropical fruit, candied apricot, dried citrus peel, honey or ginger and a zesty beam of acidity.
Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle are the grapes of Sauternes. But Sémillon's susceptibility to the requisite noble rot makes it the main variety and contributor to what makes Sauternes so unique. As a result, most Sauternes estates are planted to about 80% Sémillon. Sauvignon is prized for its balancing acidity and Muscadelle adds aromatic complexity to the blend with Sémillon.
Botrytis cinerea or “noble rot” is a fungus that grows on grapes only in specific conditions and its onset is crucial to the development of the most stunning of sweet wines.
In the fall, evening mists develop along the Garonne River, and settle into the small Sauternes district, creeping into the vineyards and sitting low until late morning. The next day, the sun has a chance to burn the moisture away, drying the grapes and concentrating their sugars and phenolic qualities. What distinguishes a fine Sauternes from a normal one is the producer’s willingness to wait and tend to the delicate botrytis-infected grapes through the end of the season.