Château Gilette
A legendary estate for its unique old Sauternes vintages, Château Gilette has been owned by the Médeville family since the 18th century, following the marriage of Numa Médeville to a Miss Marie Despujols.
From the early 1930s onwards, Numa’s grandson René Médeville, a man of conviction who was both wise and passionate, developed unique wines that were aged for 15 or 20 years in concrete vats, allowing slow, natural ageing without external interference.
The estate is now run by Julie Gonet-Médeville, granddaughter of René and daughter of Christian Médeville, an important figure in the Sauternes region.
The vines at Château Gilette, covering 4.5 hectares, are planted on sandy and rocky soil, all on a limestone subsoil, close to the Garonne river. The grape varieties used are mainly Semillon with some Muscadelle and Sauvignon, the last planting dating back to the 1930s.
The wine has lovely notes of spices and fruit, reminiscent of citrus peel and bitter orange, and is astonishingly young. It is also the fruitiest of the great Sauternes wines.
Château Les Justices
The history of this estate is also very old, as Numa Medeville was already selling them separately in the 18th century.
It is an 8.5 hectare property located in Preignac, in the heart of Sauternes, on a clay-limestone soil with a rocky subsoil. The vines have an average age of 40 years. The harvest, according to the impact of the Botrytis Cinerea, are done by successive sorting.
The grape varieties are 85% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon and 5% Muscadelle. After harvest, the wine is vinified and aged in barrels before being bottled 2 years later.
Chateau les Justices produces classical and elegant Sauternes. They are melow, redolent of flower and fruit essences, with a long lasting finish. Just like its elder brothers at Gilette, Les Justices bears the stamp of the enlightened obstinacy of its owner.
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