Rayne Vigneau (de)

The Château Rayne Vigneau was create during the 17th century. The Vigneau de Bommes was the first holder. Gabriel de Vigneau indeed appears in writings from 1635. His son Étienne married Jeanne Sauvage, daughter of the Lord of Yquem, and in 1681 took personal ownership of the property. Madame de Rayne, bought the Domaine du Vigneau in 1834.

The ranking of 1855 places Château Rayne Vigneau among the Premiers Crus of Sauternes wines. In 1867, the great broker Daney gave it the first rank immediately after Yquem. It is Albert de Pontac, grand-nephew of Madame de Rayne, who gives his name of "Rayne Vigneau" to the property. Between 2004 and 2015, Château de Rayne Vigneau belonged to CA Grands Crus, a subsidiary of the Crédit Agricole Group, which implemented an optimization plan for the entire vineyard. Since 2007, the castle has adopted sustainable agriculture that respects the environment.

Today, the Château de Rayne Vigneau, bought by the Trésor du Patrimoine group, is managed by Vincent Labergère, assisted by the advice of oenologist Henri Boyer. The château embodies a sure bet of the appellation claiming, vintage after vintage, a style full of intensity, length and freshness. The vineyard covers 84 hectares and the vines, 30 years old on average, are divided between Sémillon (74%), Sauvignon Blanc (24%) and Muscadelle (2%). The harvest remains traditional with successive sorting. Harvested by hand, only perfectly “roasted” grapes are picked. The wines are aged for 18 months in oak barrels, 40% to 50% of which are new each year.