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Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud

The history of Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud my be traced as far back as 1660, when the estate was under the ownership of the de Cazeau family, who held tenure here for over 150 years before the property was sold. From then onwards, the Sigalas-Rabaud story has been one of division, reunion, expansion and division once again, eventually giving rise to the property that we know today as Sigalas-Rabaud.

Sigalas-Rabaud In 1660 the estate that came to the de Cazeau family, part of the dowry of Madame Peyronne de Rabaud, was Chateau Rabaud. The de Cazeau family, of noble descent, ran the vineyards without any significant event until 1819, when Pierre-Hubert de Cazeau sold it all to Gabriel Deyme, who did sufficiently well to see his charge ranked as a premier cru in the 1855 classification of Sauternes. The first Sigalas comes into the story in 1864, when Deyme sold Chateau Rabaud to Henri Drouilhet de Sigalas. During Henri 's tenure he also purchased Chateau Pexoto, a 10 ha property classed as a deuxième cru, and this new land was incorporated into the Rabaud holdings, Chateau Rabaud mystically retaining its premier cru status for its wine.

The first sign of Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud as we know it today came in 1903, when Henri's son, Pierre Drouihet de Sigalas, sold part of the estate to Adrien Promis, thereby also creating Chateau Rabaud-Promis. For 26 years the two properties were quite independent, but in 1929 the opportunity came for them to be reunited. The property had passed from Pierre to Gérard, his son, and then to Gérard's daughter, who married the Marquis René de Lambert de Granges. The Marquis employed Fernand Ginestet with the day-to-day management of Sigalas-Rabaud. Ginestet, however, was also in charge at Rabaud-Promis, running this estate for the Promis family, Adrien's daughters to be precise. For two decades the estate was essentially reunited, the wines displaying the names of both properties on the label, but it was not to last. In 1949 the Marquis bought his portion of the estates out of the arrangement, and Rabaud Promis was sold to Raymond-Louis Lanneluc. By 1952 the parties had settled, and Chateau Rabaud has remained divided until present day.

The Marquis and his descendents have remained the owners of Sigalas-Rabaud until present, although with assistance from Domaines Cordier in recent years. In 1972 the family formed a company to run the estate, common practice in Bordeaux, and some other French wine regions, as this avoids the infinite division of the family estate as it is passed down through the generations, with each son taking his share. This must have been seen as a pressing need at Sigalas-Rabaud, with four sons all staking a claim to the family property. The four ran the company, with one, the Comte Emmanuel de Lambert des Granges, taking up residence in the chateau, which dates back to the time of de Cazeau family. It was in 1994 that Cordier took a minority share-holding in the estate, and today they play a major role in advising on vinification and marketing.

The vineyards of Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud cover about 14 ha of land, making this the smallest premier cru. They border those of Rabaud-Promis, perhaps unsurprisingly, as well as Rayne-Vigneau, near the town of Bommes, in the northwest of the Sauternes appellation. They are planted with 98% Semillon and 2% Sauvignon Blanc, no Muscadelle, with vines averaging more than 40 years of age. The fruit is harvested in tries, typically at 17 hl/ha. Under the direction of cellar-manager Jean-Louis Vimeney it was then fermented in stainless steel, before ageing in both steel and oak, Vimeney being a proponent of more neutral vessels over the influence of wood. Vimeney and Comte Emmanuel did not, however, see eye-to-eye over this matter, and Vimeney left, to be replaced by Eric Combret, in 1990. Today the wine is made with advice from Georges Pauli of Cordier, and after pressing it is fermented in oak with temperature control, and will see oak thereafter, although with only one third replaced with new each vintage the impact on the wine will still less than at some other estates.

Before bottling the wine is fined and filtered. The end result is the grand vin Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud, of which there are 2500 cases per annum, and a second wine, Le Cadet de Sigalas, introduced in recent years, of which there are about 700 cases. My personal experience has featured only the grand vin, not the second wine on which I cannot comment. Over the years, Sigalas Rabaud has maintained a lacklustre reputation, particularly in the 1970s and and 1980s when I think there may well have been a lack of direction, or perhaps an inappropriate direction, in the cellar. Fortunately for me, I have been tasting (and drinking) much younger vintages, from the current era. These are wines that are very approachable young, with lots of perfumed, fresh, crystalline fruit. The 2001 is exceedingly impressive bringing lovely richness yet also delicate poise and balance to the glass. Others are extremely pleasing to drink, although they don't quite reach the quality that I have found in what must be one of Sauternes' greatest ever vintages. Although, I must admit, the 2005 may well come very close. (1/6/06)

Contact details:
Address: Bommes, 33210 Langon
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 11 29 00 (Domaines Cordier offices)
Fax +33 (0) 5 56 11 29 01

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud - Tasting Notes

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2007

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud (Sauternes) 2007: Appealing fruit here, honey and apricots, with nice botrytis and a leafy elderflower freshness. Softer and less focussed than I hoped, rounded, but with gentle acidity, although it is still quite present. A lovely vibrancy later in the palate, but not so concentrated here. A bit short on definition, but still rather good. From my 2007 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 14.5-15.5+/20

2006

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud (Sauternes) 2006: An attractive nose, fresh and sweet, notes of candied fruits. Fat, open, again not the depth or concentration of some other wines. Broad though, nice profile of flavour, low-level grip and acidity. Pleasing. But not really endowed with botrytis at all. From my 2006 Bordeaux assessment. 14-15/20 (April 2007)

2005

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud (Sauternes) 2005: There is an attractive creaminess to the nose, if that is possible, with aromas of honey, flower petals, beeswax and a little vein of botrytis too. Rich and velutinous, fat, rather minerally and fresh too though, and a good concentration of flavour. Better acidity than present in some other wines too. Very good indeed. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 17+/20 (October 2007)

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud (Sauternes) 2005: Intense, floral, sweet, aromatic tropical fruit nose. Notes of lanolin and vanilla. Very full on the palate, with an earthy-mineral note which I have noticed in Sigalas Rabaud in previous vintages. Good depth, with fine concentration and a massive, heady sweetness. Fresh though. Good length. Very primary at present, simple and sweet, but this has piles of potential. From a 2005 Bordeaux en primeur tasting. 17-18/20 (April 2006)

2004

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud (Sauternes) 2004: An attractive nose, delicious and fresh. The palate has a full, flashy, creamy, fat and rounded character. There is some good acidity too which lends a little freshness although overall it s a bit jammy. A big and plentiful rather than a subtle style. Overall, good. From a tasting of 2004 Bordeaux. 16.5+/20 (April 2007)

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud (Sauternes) 2004: Honey and barley sugar nose here, with a white pepper nuance. Fresh style, elegant, with a creamy fatness. Honey, botrytis, flower petals with well delineated acids. Good potential. It has good style. From my 2004 Bordeaux assessment. 16.5+/20 (October 2006)

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud (Sauternes) 2004: A more developed nose here, showing notes of honey and lanolin, with lifted, floral elements also present. Very sweet and primary palate, also showing a rather organic, minerally component which I have noted before in Sigalas Rabaud. Quite fresh, appealing, with sufficient acidity. Overall it approaches an acceptable balance, and is a good example. 17/20 (April 2006)

2003

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud (Sauternes) 2003: A lovely nose, fresh but with an obvious seam of oak. There is still plenty of oak swamping the palate at present as well, damping down any other flavours that might be present. But it has good texture, and a sweet, fat richness, and essential acidity. This will come good as the oak is absorbed. From my 2003 Bordeaux assessment. 16.5+/20 (October 2005)

2001

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud (Sauternes) 2001: A lovely, pale golden hue. Very lifted on the nose, a little high toned volatile acidity showing its influence here, but with appealing crystal clear pear fruit coated with honeyed botrytis. On the palate the same fresh, crystalline vibrancy comes through. Honey and buttercream richness meld with fresh fruit with a subtle, smoky, mineral edge, balanced with gentle, tingling acidity. Wonderful intensity, but with freshness and fine persistence too. This is deliciously easy to drink; a runaway success. From a Sauternes 2001 assessment. 18.5/20 (April 2006)

1997

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud (Sauternes) 1997: Notes of straw on the nose, more reminiscent of the Loire than Bordeaux! Sweet honeycomb botrytis too, with a wealth of exuberantly fresh fruit and a mineral character. Nevertheless quite soft and sweet on entry, with a rather chalky structure, and overall perhaps lacking in acidity. Doesn't have the freshness or acidity that I seek in the finest wines. Lovely flavour profile, though. 16/20 (April 2006)