CHÂTEAU SIGALAS RABAUDBommes, France

Lucy EgglestonSummer 2018

o Location: Sauternes appellation of the Bordeaux region of

southwestern France.

o Specialty: Sweet wine due to “Noble Rot,” a beneficial infection

of Botrytis cinerea.

o Defining characteristics:

o “Premier Cru” (First Growth) in the 1855

classification of the Bordeaux region.

o Tradition: respect for the

terrior, production of excellent

sweet wines.

o Innovation: Integrated Pest

Management, production of

new wines varieties.

o Smallest Sauternes Premier Cru (14 hectares).

o Interns involved in all parts

of the business (vineyard, wine

tours, and marketing).

o Lots of mentor-mentee

interaction.

Introduction:Meet Château Sigalas Rabaud

The tasting room overlooking the barrel cellar of Château SigalasRabaud.

o VINEYARD:

oManagement: No Herbicides , no insecticides

Tilling Pheromone traps

+ tolerance + pheromone emitters

o Leaf thinning and summer lateral removal in the fruit zone

o Decreases mildew susceptibility

o Changes aroma development

o Hastens ripening

o Improves bud development for the next year

oMust be judicious to enhance quality without

risking sunburn

On north-south oriented rows, we practiced complete leaf removal around the East facing clusters (more extreme removal).

On east-west oriented rows, we selectively removed summer laterals around the North facing clusters (less extreme removal).

Conducting a tour with a group from New Zealand.

My tasks:Vineyard: Leaf thinning and summer lateral removal

Wine tours: Presenting the history, management, and

wines of the château to English speaking visitors.

Marketing: Editing the English version of the website.

oWINE TOURISM:

o Most Sauternes wine is

marketed overseas.

o Wine tours were often

conducted in English, as

many customers did not

speak French, but knew

English as a second

language.

Editing the English website.

o MARKETING

o Internet marketing is critical

to reaching a world wide

customer base.

o The English version of the

website was wrought with

grammatical and difficult

phrasing.

o Corrected errors while

maintaining “their voice” on

the website.

A pinpoint indicating the location of the Sauternes appellation. An outline of the Lewis-Clark Valley AVA, the region where I would like to plant a vineyard.

Summary:o Areas of professional growth:

o Flexibility

o Working in many capacities

around the château

o Maintaining strange work hours

o Dealing with a language barrier

o Responsibility

o Translating protocols to safely

and efficiently perform tasks

o Translating a company’s

professional website

o Pursing excellence through innovation

o Learning about Integrated Pest

Management strategies

o Applying lessons to my professional life:

o Flexibility

o Solving production, marketing,

and communication challenges

o Responsibility

o Caring for those who will

depend on me for their livelihoods

oPursuing excellence through innovation

o Making decisions based on

modern research to achieve the

highest environmental, economic,

and social sustainability

A Sigalas sunset to bid á revior to Château Sigalas Rabaud.