Location and historical name
Fargues is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and belongs to the Langon arrondissement. Fargues-de-Langon was a historical name for the present-day commune of Fargues. The commune lies in the wine-growing region Bordeaux.
Sauternes and natural conditions
Fargues is one of the five communes in the geographical area of the protected designation of origin Sauternes, which was first recognised by decree on 30 September 1936. The area has an oceanic climate with mild, damp winters and moderately warm summers. Humid night-time conditions in autumn from the valleys of the Ciron and Garonne, as well as ventilation during the day, favour the development of Botrytis cinerea.
The landscape includes gentle hills and terraces along the Garonne valley, oriented east-southeast. Characteristic are sandy-gravelly rises over a tertiary limestone bedrock; the soils and subsoils may also contain clay, gravelly siliceous earth, limestone, gravel or alios.
Rules for Sauternes wine-growing
Muscadelle B, Sauvignon B, Sauvignon Gris G and Sémillon B are permitted for Sauternes. The grapes are harvested overripe and shaped by noble rot, after several rounds of manual selection. At least 6,500 vines per hectare are prescribed, while certain crop-protection treatments against Botrytis and complete chemical weed control are prohibited.
Sauternes is a still white wine with residual sugar; each marketed batch must contain at least 45 grams of fermentable sugar per litre. The wines are vinified and matured in a specially designated enclosed building, at least until 15 March of the year following the harvest.
Château Rieussec
The Château Rieussec has belonged since 1984 to Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite. Its terroir was recognised in the 1855 classification of Sauternes and Barsac as Premier Cru Classé. The vineyard covers 85 hectares on the border between Fargues and Sauternes, is fully covered with vegetation and, according to a technical description, consists of roughly 80 percent sandy gravel and 20 percent clay.
The planted areas are predominantly planted with Sémillon and are complemented by 17 percent Sauvignon Blanc and 3 percent Muscadelle. The harvest lasts from September to November for six to eight weeks; during this time, in successive passes, selection is made according to ripeness and the development of Botrytis. Production involves careful sorting of the grapes and fermentation in wooden casks.
