Château de Rayne-Vigneau: The Modern Era
It seems reasonable to suppose that under the tenure of the Rayne-Pontac family, Rayne-Vigneau was managed as a successful estate. Texts at the time rank it highly, alongside reputable names such as Château La Tour Blanche, and at the time of the 1855 classification of Sauternes and Barsac Château de Rayne-Vigneau was ranked third among all the premiers crus, behind Château La Tour Blanche and Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Château d’Yquem sitting pretty on its own rung, as premier cru supérieur, of course.
Catherine died in 1856, and upon this event the estate was bequeathed to her brother Vicomte Gabriel de Pontac (1810 – 1892), who saw the 1861 vintage trump all-comers, including Château d’Yquem and the very best German Rieslings, in the Paris Fair tasting in 1867. He must have been responsible for the construction of the château (pictured on the preceding page, and below), which dates to the 1860s, replacing a pre-existing structure. It was built to a design by the renowned architect Michel-Louis Garros (1833 – 1911). The property continued down this line of inheritance, next coming to Gabriel’s nephew Albert de Pontac (1843 – 1922), and it is usually reported that it was he who determined the name of the estate would be Château de Rayne-Vigneau, in honour of his ancestors.
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