Sauternes Zest

A new freshness and novelty for Sauternes!

The Sauternes Zest is a brand new cuvee of Château Filhot (Sauternes Grand Cru Classé). Wanting a younger style, more accessibility, to Gabriel de Vaucelles (co-owner of Château de Filhot), the idea behind this new wine is to reach new consumers, to make them take a first step into the amazing world of Sauternes with the aim of creating new moments of consumption. The ambition is also, in the end, to lead them to drink more ‘traditional’ style Sauternes’.

What is the Sauternes Zest? Château Filhot : This is a Sauternes adapted to a new mode of consumption putting forth the expression of the fruit and vivacity of the wines of Bordeaux Gold.The levels of liquor and alcohol are in the low range of standards of the appellation Sauternes.The blend is also unconventional because it consists of 50% Sémillon and 50% Sauvignon. The grapes for this cuvée are harvested by hand at the stage of roasted grains which allows us to obtain the eponymous character of this wine pleasure: its delicate notes of lemon zest.

How did you come up with the idea of creating this wine?

C.F. : At Chateau Filhot we have a 2nd wine (Trianon de Filhot) which is developed according to the traditions of the Sauternes appellation, vinified and aged exclusively in vats. Some vintages of this 2nd wine have a style similar to the current Sauternes Zest and appealed particularly to many amateurs and young consumers. However, this second wine is only produced from qualitative lots excluded from the blending of the first wine.

Its balance and style can vary greatly from one vintage to another. To find each year these same characteristics, it was necessary to create a specific cuvée which implies to harvest and vinify grapes only intended for the assembly of the Sauternes Zest. Hence the idea of this cuvée was born…

What do you advise on the tasting or consumption of this product? C.F. : The Sauternes Zest seems to be a perfect aperitif or accompaniment to an early meal. This bottle can be kept right in a refrigerator and released as soon as an opportunity presents itself.

Why this original packaging?

C.F. : The eponymous character of the Sauternes Zest and its original style (tasting) must imperatively be found in the packaging.We therefore opted for a thin and slender bottle (volume of only 37.5cl), a modern, elegant, easily readable and directly recognizable label, a glass stopper of the Vinolok type facilitating the opening and the closing of the bottle without hampering its preservation.

It was necessary that this originality in the wine be found in the packaging.