This morning was the 2nd sort at Château Sigalas Rabaud in Bommes in the Sauternes region. Very delicate harvests because it is necessary to harvest only the noble rot, the botrytis cinerea, and take care to make a large sweet well balanced. This is what Laure de Lambert Compeyrot and his team watch at Château Sigalas Rabaud.
Laure de Lambert Compeyrot this morning facing botrytised clusters which will arrive at the right maturity next week © JPS
8:30 am, in Bommes, right next to Sauternes … Laure de Lambert Compeyrot, owner of Château Sigalas Rabaud, gives his last instructions: “Did you sort everything there or not?” For those who have never sorted, we will accompany you quietly, do not worry… Nadège is a pro, Marion is sensational and I can be there too… ”The guidelines are more precise than for traditional harvests because it ‘is a collection by successive sorting of these semillons and sauvignons affected by the fungus botrytis cinerea, in other words noble rot.
Laure de Lambert Compeyrot this morning facing botrytised clusters which will arrive at the right maturity next week © JPS
8:30 am, in Bommes, right next to Sauternes … Laure de Lambert Compeyrot, owner of Château Sigalas Rabaud, gives his last instructions: “Did you sort everything there or not?” For those who have never sorted, we will accompany you quietly, do not worry… Nadège is a pro, Marion is sensational and I can be there too… ”The guidelines are more precise than for traditional harvests because it ‘is a collection by successive sorting of these semillons and sauvignons affected by the fungus botrytis cinerea, in other words noble rot.
Marion Clauzel, technical director, and Laure de Lambert Compeyrot tasting the 2015 vintage of the château © JPS
This harvest is one of the most delicate, because it is a cleaning harvest, while waiting for the others because in total there are 3 to 5 sorts according to the vintages and depending on the weather and the evolution of the grape. . There is of course a search for sweetness, but not too much, between 115 and 120 gr of residual sugar here while many approach the 140 in Sauternes.
We are looking for more airy, more delicate, fresher things. We will wait until the complexity is there, with a multiplicity of aromas, but on the other hand, we will not let the sugars rise. »Laure by Lambert Compeyrot
When the botrytis cinerea settles on the semillon cluster © JPS
The harvest in Sauternes will continue until the end of October, or even the beginning of November. Very technical harvests.