Château de Rouanne Vinsobres

Chateau de Rouanne Vinsobre Bottle

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.

Barruol uses whole bunches during fermentation, as the stems absorb alcohol and help retain acidity and tannin. Indigenous yeasts are used to impart the character and the purity of the terroir into the wine. The wine is aged for 16 months in concrete vats and is bottled unfined and unfiltered in order to deliver a “straight to the ground” interpretation of this unique vineyard.

Château de Rouanne
Rouanne Vineyards
Ancient Spring
Rouanne Tower
Chateau de Rouanne
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Acclaim
“Delicate florals and hints of pristine black plum and cherry introduce this full-bodied, powerfully structured wine. A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvédre sourced from 50-year old vines in Vinsobres at the northerly edge of the Southern Rhône, it’s packed with ripe, pulsing black-fruit flavors dusted with cocoa powder and hints of sage and thyme. Firm, searing tannins need some time to open. Open in advance with a decant or hold till 2026 at least.” — The New Wine Review, Nov 2023
“Alluring damson plum and winey cherry flavors introduce this concentrated red, bound up with muscular tannins and flecked with bitter dark chocolate, cigar box and spices. Hefty in weight, with a lot of concentration, yet a refreshing herbal edge brings lift through the warm, lengthy finish. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.” — Wine Spectator, Sep 2023
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Château de Rouanne
Vineyard size
62 ha acres
Soil composition
Clay, Limestone and Sand
Elevation:
984 feet
Exposure:
Southeastern
Year vineyard planted:
between 1950 and 1975
Bottles produced of this wine:
200,000
Average Vine Age:
50 years
Certifying Organizations:
Ecocert
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre
Fermentation container:
Cement vats
Maceration technique:
100% Full Bunches, Pumpovers and Aeration
Type of aging container:
Cement vats
Length of aging before bottling:
16 months
Total SO2
55
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.82
Acidity:
2.86 g/L
Alcohol:
15.44 %
Dry extract:
32.8 g/L
Total SO2
55
Residual sugar:
0.87 g/L