Château du Rocher

Château du Rocher is one of the oldest vineyards in Saint-Etienne de Lisse, and has been passed down to its owners through inheritance or marriage since at least the 15th century.

The Château du Rocher estate comprises a single contiguous vineyard covering 16 hectares. The subsoil, which is ferruginous in many places, initially imparts a robust vigor to the wines produced, which subsequently acquire, as they age, all the organic finesse and characteristic bouquet of Saint-Émilion wines.

Vine growth is carefully managed to ensure a harvest that may be smaller in quantity but of higher quality. Treatments and soil amendments are carried out using natural products to protect the environment (sowing vetch and rye in the fall, which are mowed in the spring and plowed back into the soil through light tillage). Château du Rocher’s plot-by-plot vinification includes a 4- to 5-day cold pre-fermentation maceration and a post-fermentation maceration of 15 to 20 days, depending on the vintage and grape variety.

Like Château Monbadon and Château Lagrange Monbadon, Château du Rocher has been in the process of converting to organic farming since September 2009.