Château Gillette Sauternes 1962

The rarest of all the wines we drank during the Connoisseur Week, which is saying something. This is the definition of insider Bordeaux, from a tiny 4.5ha walled estate in the village of Preignac, that only releases its wines after two decades in cement vats, zero oak ageing, with a production of 4,000 to 5,000 bottles per year. While in vat, the wine sees no oxygen, no racking, no topping up, no extra sulphur and no lees stirring, all of which helps this 1962 vintage retain a stunning white truffle and clementine freshness. At 61 years old it has easily reached the stage of Sauternes where there is barely a trace of sweetness, instead delivering waves of lemon peel, spiced orange marmalade, crème caramel, fragrant white flowers, saffran and savoury white pear. Saline, mouthwatering and utterly gorgeous. This was a vintage made by Christian Médeville, father of the current owners and son of Réné, the man who accidentally invented this unusual way of winemaking after returning to the estate following a long absence imposed by World War II. He was sure that the wine left in the vat would have spoiled, but instead discovered how good it was, and decided to make it a house style.