Established 1872, Cie des Freres Lillet has been a leader in fashionable aperitif wines since the earliest days of French cafe culture and throughout the decadent years of Paris's belle epoque. Lillet Blanc is still produced and aged on the original site at Podensac in the Medoc. Stocks of Cru quality Bordeaux Blanc are fortified with a blend of spirit and liqueurs made from sweet and bitter citrus, infused with quinine and aged to maturity. The exact recipe is a closely guarded secret but what is known is that the balance of elixirs varies with each vintage as the formula is attenuated to accomodate the vagaries of season and achieve a consistency of the style which has always been so central to French cafe culture.