Château Gilette - Sauternes Crème de Tête 1985

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

Château Gilette has been in the Médeville family since the 18th century. In the 1930s, René Médeville, the grandfather of Julie Gonet-Médeville, the Château's current manager, developed a unique sweet wine, aged for 15 to 20 years in concrete vats. From then on, the process was repeated, only in exceptional years. Only the nectar - crème de tête - is kept for the grand vin; the rest is sold in bulk. In the vineyard, 4.5 hectares supply Gilette, including a parcel that gave the château its name. This year, Julie Gonet-Médeville is launching the 1996, which follows in the footsteps of its illustrious predecessors.

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the domain :

Gilette is a 4.5-hectare mini-domain (more than 80% planted with Semillon) belonging to the Médeville family, now managed by Julie Gonet-Médeville. A little out of the ordinary at a time when everything has to move fast and be immediately profitable, Gilette only sells its wines - a maximum of 3,000 to 6,000 bottles per vintage - after a long 20-year ageing period in vats. This has earned him the nickname "the antique dealer of Sauternes". This is the 1989 that was sent to us for tasting this year.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the domain :

This tiny Preignac cru, now run by Julie Médeville and her husband Xavier Gonet, is famous for selling only very old vintages, aged for long periods in concrete vats (protected from the air), then in bottle, and made from very rich grapes (hence the "crème de tête" label). Gilette's distinctive bouquet is undoubtedly the fruitiest in the Sauternes region, with notes of citrus jam (bitter orange), enhanced by the delicate rancio brought about by ageing. The method of preservation favors reduction without oxidation, which explains the astonishing youthfulness of these wines, even more than thirty years after their birth. We strongly recommend decanting several hours before serving.