Chateau de Rouanne Vinsobres Rouanne et les Crơttes

Chateau de Rouanne Vinsobres Rouanne et les Crottes

Wine Description

Château de Rouanne is a historic estate with a 12th century medieval castle, situated on a classified Roman site located in the southern Rhône Valley.  The name of the estate comes from "Rugius", which is said to be the name of the original Roman owner. The estate totals 177 acres (72 hectares), including 153 acres (62 hectares) of vines. Château de Rouanne was purchased by Louis Barruol, owner and winemaker of Château de Saint Cosme, in May of 2019. Barruol sees enormous potential in Château de Rouanne, having worked with the previous owners for years as a source for some of his négociant wines. “It reminds me a lot of Saint Cosme when I took it over in 1992. It’s an unknown sleeping beauty waiting for a vigneron to truly love it.”

The vineyard of Château de Rouanne is a unique single block, planted entirely with 50+ year old vines, which are a selection massale of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. The ancient terroir is comprised of limestone and sandy marl soils dating back to the Pliocene epoch. 

This wine comes from the historical, geologic and viticultural heart of the estate: the Rouanne et les Crottes lieux-dit is a 2.1-hectare plot located in the middle of the Rouanne hill where the original Roman villa is thought to have stood. Remnants of tiles and ancient pottery are routinely found when the viticultural team ploughs the soils. Similar to other hilly wine regions like Burgundy, the center of the hill is regarded as the “Holy Grail” for quality due to the perfectly balanced drainage for the soil and ideal sun exposure – this dynamic is perfectly realized for Rouanne et les Crottes. 

Château de Rouanne
Rouanne Vineyards
Ancient Spring
Rouanne Tower
Chateau de Rouanne
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Acclaim
The oak is quite noticeable, but there's plenty of exuberant fruit behind it. Full-bodied, rich and opulent in fruit, this is more concentrated than most 2021s. Good acidity, well-worked tannins and a nice sense of freshness all add up to a fairly powerful, concentrated, exuberant style of Vinsobres. All whole-bunch fermented, aged for 12 months in 226-litre barrels. Owned by Louis Barruol of Château de St Cosme. — Decanter, Sep 2022
“A juicy, pleasant and crunchy red, this shows notes of red berries, spiced cherries, warm herbs and baking spices. Medium-bodied with fresh acidity. Fruit-driven with a fresh center-palate and a comforting finish.” — James Suckling, Jun 2024
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Vineyard & Production Info
Production area/appellation:
Vinsobres
Vineyard name
Château de Rouanne
Vineyard size
62 ha acres
Soil composition
Clay, limestone and sand from Pliocène
Elevation:
984 feet
Exposure:
south/east
Harvest time:
Beginning of October
Bottles produced of this wine:
2,500
Average Vine Age:
50 years
Certified Eco-Friendly Practices:
Farmed organically
Sustainability Certification:
Organic ECOCERT
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
70% Grenache, 30% Syrah
Fermentation container:
Traditional co-fermentation in concrete tanks. Wild ferments.
Type of aging container:
12 months ageing in demi-muids and Burgundy casks.
Total SO2
48
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.4
Acidity:
3.42 g/L
Alcohol:
14.5 %
Dry extract:
28.7 g/L
Total SO2
48
Residual sugar:
0.98 g/L