Lieutenant de Sigalas 2009 - Second Vin du Château Sigalas Rabaud

Located right next to Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Sigalas-Rabaud is a small, 14-hectare vineyard in a single block (the smallest classified growth in Sauternes), ideally situated and capable of producing a very sweet wine of transcendent finesse. Due to its early ripening, noble rot develops here in a particularly refined manner, as demonstrated by the great vintages of the past twenty years. Laure Compeyrot de Lambert is steering the estate toward more sustainable viticulture and producing dry wines with character.

Founded in the 17th century by a family of magistrates at the Bordeaux Parliament, Château Rabaud—acquired by Henri Sigalas—became Sigalas-Rabaud in 1863. In 1903, his son Pierre sold 30 hectares to the Promis family, retaining only “the jewel of the terroir”—the current 14 hectares, planted on a ridge of gravel over clay. The estate’s history was subsequently eventful (leasing, mergers, and divisions), until the family lands were reclaimed in 1951 by Marie-Antoinette de Lambert des Granges, née Sigalas, whose granddaughter, Laure de Lambert Compeyrot, now serves as the estate’s director.

The Lambert family cultivates this magnificent, homogeneous terroir, which provides ideal conditions for the development of noble rot. The wine’s style is unparalleled: while it rivals the Haut-Sauternais premiers crus in richness and power—with a bouquet of a similar nature—it reveals a more pronounced, immediate finesse that only intensifies with aging. Ultimately, these are true little miracles that a core group of loyal connoisseurs has elevated to the pinnacle of Sauternes. Laure de Lambert-Compeyrot took over the management of Sigalas Rabaud in 2013 and is energetically expanding the production of dry white wines (La Sémillante de Sigalas and La Demoiselle). She is also campaigning for the recognition of a new “dry Sauternes” appellation.