Description
Château Rocheyron consists of 8.45 hectares of the historic Saint-Emilion terroir: the vines on this terroir are planted on the Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes plateau, consisting of calcosol soils on asteria limestone dating back to the Lower Oligocene. The terroir is noted for its capacity to produce great wines.
This is a small vineyard, but big on quality; it is planted with 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc grapes and yields less than 30hl/ha. Average age of the vines approximates to over 45 years, with some very old vines of over 80 years.
Double guyot pruning and manual harvesting coupled with low-temperature vinification processes for gentle extraction and finished with a period of 14months maturation in 50% new French oak barrels is the approach adopted by this Chateau.
Chateau Rocheyron 2011 is a fine expression of a precious and unusual vintage that was characterized by a particularly hot, dry spring, early and rapid flowering, an unusually long summer lasting from April to September, and a magical late autumn, with warm, dry conditions. The 2011 vintage has very high phenolic concentration, with dark, easily extracted colours, and delicious, abundant tannins from the skins and seeds. The alcohol level for 2011 was lower than the 2010 vintage, however, as in 2010 acidity levels are high, with low malic acid, producing a pleasing freshness on the palate. Great aromatic intensity on both nose and palate, redolent of fresh black berries, with elegant woody notes.
Tasting Notes
This has muscular layers of fig, boysenberry compote, blackberry confiture and tobacco notes coursing underneath. The tannins are refined, with a lingering elegance to offset the heft. This should age well. Best from 2015 through 2025. [91 points, James Molesworth – Wine Spectator, March 2014]
A silky wine with shaved-bitter-chocolate and raspberry character. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a clean finish. First time I’ve tasted this and I am impressed. A joint venture between Silvio Denz of Faugères and rock-star winemaker in Spain Peter Sisseck. Better in 2016. [92 points, James Suckling, February 2014]
The 2011 Château Rocheyron, a blend of 20% Cabernet Franc and 80% Merlot, came in at 13.9% alcohol, much less than the debut 2010. It has a clean and generous bouquet with quite elegant red cherry and strawberry fruit, although I would like to see more personality here. The palate is medium-bodied with a slight gaminess on the entry, fine tannin, a little grainy in texture with a savoury, almost meaty finish that I like. Probably ready to drink now, it should give drinking pleasure over the next four or five years. [88points, Neal Martin – The Wine Advocate, March 2017].
