At A Glance
- Appellation
- Sainte-Croix-du-Mont
- Main grapes
- Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc
- Signature wine
- Château La Rame 2021
- Defining feature
- South-facing hillside vineyards above the Garonne on clay-limestone marked by fossilized oyster beds
The Producer
South-facing vineyards above the Garonne are the setting for Château La Rame, a Bordeaux estate 40 kilometers southeast of Bordeaux in Sainte-Croix-du-Mont. Its main vineyard averages 50 years of vine age and is planted to Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The estate works across dry white wine and sweet Sainte-Croix-du-Mont styles.
Place
Sainte-Croix-du-Mont is a 250 hectare appellation on the right bank of the Garonne that produces sweet wines. The appellation's wines carry ripe fruit and white flower aromas, with rich, finely balanced sweetness and a style often compared with the classified grand crus of Sauternes.
Wines
Château La Rame 2021 is the dry white wine in the range, made from 75% Sémillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc with no oak ageing. At 12.5% ABV, it drinks like Sauvignon Blanc without cutting acidity and works as an aperitif, with shellfish, or alongside grilled fish.
Sainte-Croix-du-Mont Tradition is the sweet wine, harvested entirely by hand in successive passes over several weeks to gather fruit affected by noble rot. Fermentation lasts three to six weeks at controlled temperature, followed by two years in tank before bottling. The two wines differ in sweetness, oak and ageing.
Final Word
Château La Rame is a Sainte-Croix-du-Mont estate with the Garonne below its south-facing vines and fossilized oyster beds beneath its clay-limestone soil.
Sources
- www.thewinedoctor.com/weekend/rame_saintecroixdumont_2017.shtml
- rosenthalwinemerchant.com/growers/chateau-la-rame
- www.maisondesvinsdecadillac.com/vins-de-bordeaux/vins-blancs-doux/sainte-croix-du-mont
- www.gusclemensonwine.com/chateau-la-rame-sainte-croix-du-mont-2021
- rwmselections.com/products/chateau-la-rame-sainte-croix-du-mont-tradition-2021