2019 Château les Justices Sauternes, Bordeaux, France - 375ml

ABOUT THIS WINE

A blend of 88% Sémillon, 8% Sauvignon Blanc, and 4% Muscadelle. The vines are grown on gravel and sand with some clay in a clay-limestone subsoil on a rocky bed. The grapes are harvested manually. The must is cooled with racking, and fermentation is done in stainless steel vats at a low temperature. The wine ages for 18 months. Annual production is about 1,800 cases.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Julie and Xavier Gonet-Médeville are, in many ways, the first couple of French wines. Both hail from storied winemaking families: Julie’s family is famous for its incomparable Château Gilette, and Xavier comes from a long line of Champagne growers in Le Mesnil. Leading a new generation of winemakers, they bring their family knowledge, methods, and passion to the many wines they now make together. For more than half a century, the Médevilles have let their Sauternes age for decades in concrete vats. The wines never see the inside of a wooden barrel; they go directly from vat to bottle. Although Gilette was not included in the 1855 classification, its wines can compete with the best. Château Gilette is unique not only in Sauternes but in the world, as wines are aged between 15 and 25 years before release. While Gilette comprises barely nine acres, Château Les Justices is more than 19, just west of the Gironde River in Preignac.