Variety: 100% Semillon (Botrytis)

Region of Origin: Barsac, Bordeaux, France

Tasting Notes

 The nose is aromatic with notes of zest of yuzu, lemon, peach, quince, spices, crushed pear and verbena. The palate is fruity and well  balanced. It offers a nice juicy / acid frame with a certain finesse. In the mouth this wine expresses notes of peach, citrus, quince, verbena and flowers.

Wine Making

 The winemakers are twin brothers Laurent and David Siozard, the sixth-generation winemaking team behind Vignobles Siozard. The Sauternes are made from hand harvested semillon grapes. The selection of only the perfectly botrytis affected berries is made during several passages through the vineyards. Vinification is carried out in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, followed by 12 months maturation in new French oak barrels.

The Vineyard

 The Siozard family have been working on the banks of the River Dordogne since the late 19th Century. Château Lapinesse gains its name from ‘La Pinesse’ and the Forêt des Landes. Initiated by Napoleon III in the middle of the 19th century, today Forêt des Landes is the largest artificial forest in Western Europe. All the grapes for the Lapinesse Sauternes are hand-harvested. The vineyards have been certified in Sustainable Agriculture since 2016 (Agriculture Raisonnée ‘Terra Vitis’) and Haute Valeur Environnementale farming since 2018. The Barsac appellation benefits from a specific microclimate, the result of the confluence of the waters of the Ciron, a cold river from the Landes, and the warmer waters of the Garonne River. Blocked by the pine forest, the morning mists resulting from this confrontation, and dissipated by the Aquitaine sun at the end of the morning, are conducive to the development of noble rot, Botrytis Cinerea.