Château Gilette - Sauternes Crème de Tête 1990

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

We had madly given it 20 on the strength of a sublime bottle. The one we tasted this year under different circumstances is almost as impressive, so we'll be petty enough to take half a point off perfection..for the practically.....

About the domain :

Château Gilette has been in the Médeville family since the 18th century. René Médeville, the grandfather of Julie Gonet-Médeville, the Château's current manager, developed a unique sweet wine in the 1930s, 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 wine:

The nose is not very open, but has many nuances. With aeration, wax, honey, candied lemon and fine spicy notes appear. On the palate, bergamot and orange appear, with hints of praline. The whole is melted and coats the palate. Full, velvety, very long finish. In a somewhat closed phase today, this bottle will need a few more years to fully develop its aromas.

About the domain :

Gilette is a 4.5-hectare mini-domain (over 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

About the wine:

Château Gilette 1990 Crème de Tête is the latest vintage from the Medeville family. It has a bouquet of mint and dried white flowers, but is on the back burner for the moment, the aromas requiring more time in bottle to release. The palate is fresh on the attack, with subtle notes of nougat, quince, walnuts, almonds and fennel. Having subsequently tasted much older Gilette wines, I realize how young it still is, and it will benefit from a decade or so in bottle.

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

About the wine:

Nose of verbena, lime blossom and dried apricot. There are hints of both dried fruit and noble vegetal. The wine has not reached rancio age, as it retains plenty of freshness in its complex, nuanced perfumes. Delicious on the palate, with magnificent balance in terms of liqueur and intensity.

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.