Sarabande
2016Released only when ready to drink — ready for the table.
A wine of calm and depth. Dark fruit, graphite and the cool elegance of long ageing.
Slow, dignified, with quiet complexity – that's how a sarabande sounds, that's how this wine tastes.
This cuvée is the heart of our winery and is made each year from all of our estate's red grape varieties. Thanks to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec, it unfolds flavors of dark berries, cocoa, and graphite, underscored by the earthy notes of Cabernet Franc. Typically, 18 months of aging in mostly used barriques lends depth without heaviness. A multi-layered red wine that invites contemplation and gains in complexity with each passing year.
0.75 L bottle · €60,00
Slow, dignified, with quiet complexity – that's how a sarabande sounds, that's how this wine tastes. This cuvée is the heart of our winery...
Sarabande is the calm centre of the suite – built for long ageing, not for the quick impression. It shows that depth needs time and that complexity cannot be forced.
Claude Debussy — Sarabande, Pour le piano
The flavour profile
Dark berry, cocoa and graphite, with earthy notes and a hint of truffle. Creamy on the attack, with velvety tannins and a cool, supporting structure. Seventeen months in barrique give depth without heaviness. A multi-layered wine that can be opened now and continues to gain over the years.
Zehn Jahre gereift
The 2016 vintage was characterized by a very rainy season until May. Flowering proceeded correctly and uniformly. The dry conditions from June until harvest favored a slow and even ripening of the grapes. The weather conditions ensured an excellent degree of ripeness.
Optimal drinking window2025 – 2036
Decant before serving and pour at serving temperature.
Where it comes from
4 Grape varieties, a layering
Each plot is vinified separately; only at the end does the cuvée emerge. More about our terroirs.
Aged in our own cellar.
Aged under control in barrel and vinified plot by plot — then the years of bottle rest in our own cellar, until we consider the wine ready to drink.
In the tradition of modern oenology
Aux Conseillans was for decades the domaine of Jean Ribéreau-Gayon — one of the co-founders of modern oenology, founder of the Institute of Oenology at the University of Bordeaux (1949) and longtime owner of the estate. We work in this tradition: each plot analysed and vinified separately, the ageing guided under control, the release only after proven readiness to drink.
Why we take the trouble
Released only when ready to drink
We bring a vintage to market only when it is ready to drink. We carry the ageing risk.
Composed plot by plot
Each plot is vinified separately; only at the end do we compose the cuvée from them.
Time as an ingredient
Depth needs time. We give the wines the years in barrel and bottle that they need.
Organic & HVE 4
Certified organic, embedded in a 19-hectare ecosystem of woodland, meadows, water and vines.
A wine for the table.
A wine perfect for evenings by the fire or a nice dinner with a small group of friends.
Dishes that pair well
A selection from our recipe kitchen, matched to the structure and maturity of this wine.
A playlist for the moment
This wine comes with a mood playlist on Spotify — a flowing companion as you drink. Listen in if you like; it isn't necessary.
We release each wine only when we most like to drink it ourselves.Marc & Ellen Ruhland
Good to know
When should I drink the Sarabande 2016?
Do I need to decant it?
Why does it only go on sale after ten years?
What does it pair with?
Which grape varieties is it made from?
How does it differ from the 2015?
How do I store it at home?
Is a large format worth it?
Is the wine organic?
The Coffret Dégustation
Three movements of the Suite in one box — Sarabande 2015, Gigue 2016 and Louré 2024. A first path through our wines.
Edition of 11687 bottles. Shipped directly from the Château — climate-controlled storage in our own cellar.
For us, time is an ingredient.