Jean Lillet came from Saint-Morillon in Gironde and moved to Podensac, a small town near Sauternes in the Graves region, in 1680. His descendants Raymond and Paul Lillet, merchants of fine wines, liqueurs and spirits, founded Lillet in 1872. They created Bordeaux’s first and only aperitif, known as Kina Lillet until the 1970s when it became simply Lillet, a blend of Bordeaux wines and handcrafted fruit liqueurs produced in Podensac. Podensac, a small village south of Bordeaux, is the birthplace of the Lillet aperitif, a subtle blend of rigorously selected wines (85%) and of fruit liqueurs (15%) handcrafted on site.
6 STEP IN THE PRODUCTION PROCESS:
STEP 01 - Selecting the wines - our cellar master rigorously selects the wines used for Lillet, based on their qualities and organoleptic complexity.
STEP 02 - Selecting the fruits and peels Sweet oranges from Turkey, Spain or Morocco, bitter oranges from Haiti, quinine from South America… Every year, we carefully select the best fruits, fruit peels and barks for their freshness and aromatic richness.
STEP 03 Fruits maceration Following preparation methods perpetuated since the 19th century, fruits and peels start separately their slow cold maceration in alcohol. After a few weeks, once the key ingredients have been extracted, we proceed with drawing-off and fruit pressing. This phase has a big role in Lillet’s aromatic richness.
STEP 04 - Creating Lillet Once ready, fruit macerations are mixed with the wine: this phase is called “vinage” (fortification). Once stirred until complete homogenisation, each cuvée is then aged with the greatest care by our cellar master.
STEP 05 - Ageing Lillet Blanc and Lillet Rouge cuvées spend several months in oak barrels allowing the aromas to mellow and its unique characteristic taste to mature. Nevertheless, Lillet Rosé is bottled directly in order to keep its freshness and lightness, giving place to a great aromatic finesse.
STEP 06 - Blending of Lillet Blanc and Lillet Rouge cuvées After several months in oak barrels, all cuvées are selected for their aromatic qualities and degree of maturity and blended to produce Lillet’s characteristic smoothness. This is what gives Lillet its fruity, candied notes and rich, balanced and lively flavor.
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