Rieussec: 2001, 2003, 2005

Charles Chevallier is one of the best winemakers in Bordeaux. He is best known as the head of Château Lafite-Rothschild, the famous first growth of Bordeaux. However, he is also the head of the top Sauternes property of Château Rieussec.

He sometimes admits that his true love in winemaking is in Sauternes due to the intricacies of harvesting and picking. His love pays off in intense and structured sweet wines. And he made some extraordinary wines in the last decade including the 2001, 2003, and 2005. The 2001 is a perfect wine. I rated it 100 points since it was first bottled and it continues to be archetypal.

Check out this video I during the 2010 harvest when we tasted together those three vintages above.