Saussignac is the château’s most prestigious wine, a rich ‘liquoreux’ wine produced from the vineyard’s oldest white vines using the same methods as Sauternes.
The region’s early morning mists favour the development on the grapes of the fungus, Botrytis Cinerea, which is responsible for the high concentration of sugar level in the grape. It effectively causes the fruit’s skin to disintegrate which in turn leads to the evaporation of the water in the grape. The fruit dries out leaving behind a purply blue dust.

The grapes don’t, at this stage, look very enticing but their taste is surprising and wonderful, a bit like dried raisins. They are harvested manually by people with the experience to choose the most concentrated grapes at each successive ‘tri’ or passage.

The harvest can go on till very late in the season, in 1999 the third and final ‘tri’ took place on 24th November. It is hardly necessary to point out that yields are extremely low, generally speaking, 10-15 hectolitres per hectare. It is also an extremely risky business as, if the autumn is wet, the grapes will not become concentrated, noble rot will not develop and it will be impossible to harvest.

Once harvested and pressed, this nectar ferments and ages in oak barrels for approximately 18 months.

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