1998 Rieussec
By Chateau Rieussec
The 1998 Rieussec from Chateau Rieussec, Sauternes, Bordeaux
As the millennium approached, Chateau Rieussec presented the world with its 1998 Rieussec, an exquisite nectar heralding from Bordeaux’s storied Sauternes region. This vintage offers a tapestry of complexities woven through meticulous vinification and a year that blessed vineyards with climatic generosity.
A Year of Opulence: The 1998 Vintage Specifics
The harvest of 1998 frothed with anticipation as Sauternes grappled with an erratic season, marked by bouts of rain and sunshine. The resultant grapes bore the signature of struggle and triumph – a duality that Chateau Rieussec mastered into a vintage both luscious and finely structured. Strikingly, the noble rot, or botrytis cinerea, thrived, allowing the winery to sculpt a wine emblazoned with concentrated flavours that speak to the investor keen on distinctive vintages.
In my sampling, I encountered a treasure of candied apricot and honeyed figs unfurling on a bed of toasted almond and subtle oak nuances. Thanks to years of careful cellaring, the 1998 Rieussec from Chateau Rieussec has blossomed into a mellow symphony of balmy marmalade and saffron notes, with acidity that retains its vigour, ensuring a long and satisfying finish — qualities that entrench it firmly as an investable asset in any fine wine portfolio.
Ageing Gracefully: Investment Worthy
This particular bottling from Chateau Rieussec is one to be lauded – not merely for its palatial grandeur but for how magnificently it has journeyed through the tides of time. True wine enthusiasts recognise that as vintages age, their investment appeal swells akin to their flavour profiles. Herein lies the intrinsic value of this lustrous amber liquid – its unyielding potential to enchant palates now and for years hence.
The harmony within the 1998 Rieussec elucidates why collectors should consider its place within their compendium. An opulent chapter in Chateau Rieussec’s chronicles, it embodies a luxurious vestige of 1998’s vicissitudes—storied in each golden pour.
Market price (CAD)
$1,160.00
12x75cl
Highest score
95
POP score
46
Scores and tasting notes
The 1998 Rieussec is medium gold colored and scented of paraffin, dried lemon peel, key lime pie and musk perfume with an earthy undercurrent. Very rich, concentrated and sexy in the mouth, it sports layer upon layer of citrus, earth and fungi notes with seamless freshness and fantastic length. Wow.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 31 May 2018
No tasting note available.
Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #128
Tasted at 28-50 restaurant at the 1994 dinner. The Rieussec '98 has a crisp, energetic bouquet with scents of yellow plum, wild honey and a touch of vanilla. There is ample botrytis on the viscous entry with touches of pear, honey, marzipan and vanilla pod. It is still showing a little too much oak towards the finish, although it offers fine delineation and impressive weight. Personally, I would afford this Sauternes another four or five years in bottle. Drink 2016-2030. Tasted November 2011.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal Jul 2012