The embodiment of
Saint-Émilion
The vineyard of Château Laroque, in a single block, is a unique, sensational viticultural environment, which contributed to its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In 2000, the Saint-Émilion and Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellations were added to the list of World Heritage Sites as cultural landscapes: a first in the history of wine.
This exceptional geography is matched by unique (viti)culture, shaped by man over a long time: the undulations of the plateau, the woods that meet the vineyards, the hillsides plunging southwards towards the Dordogne valley...
Hereafter, the composition of the blend is made from the two main grape varieties of Saint-Émilion: Merlot, which on limestone soils gives flesh, brilliance, crafted contours and lots of flavour, and Cabernet Franc, which stretches the wines out more, towards a fresh, finely crafted finish.
With the aim of obtaining the best possible grapes, the soils are naturally grassed or sown with cereals, and some ploughing and hoeing is carried out according to the seasons.
Working the soil, respecting the wooded areas and hedges all contribute to the balance of the site, but without first-rate plant material there can be no fine wine.
Observation, patience and meticulous attention to detail go into every manual operation in the vineyard. As many times as necessary, the winegrower repeats the pruning, bending, disbudding, shoot thinning and wire lifting for each vine...
Today, it is the diversity of the vines planted here that makes this vineyard a living heritage, rich and rare. The team knows the value of diversity within each variety: diversity gives more taste than uniformity!
"Thanks to the limestone soils,
responsible for giving the wines a delicate,
chalky mouthfeel, and the density and crunch of the Merlot grapes,
Château Laroque and Les Tours de Laroque
are great classics of Saint-Émilion."
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Due to the geological differences, the Merlot grapes from the plots surrounding the mill can ripen two weeks apart from those from the plots on the hillsides and terraces.
At harvest time, a mosaic of tastes emerges for the winegrowers, who seek to appreciate every nuance.
Decisive choices are made every year on the vineyard map, based on tasting the berries, plot by plot. Vinification is carried out with the aim of respecting the limestone footprint of each landscape, and bringing out the flavours, freshness and brilliance of each wine.
The nuances of each plot come to the fore during the two winters of ageing, adapted to each harvest.
This long period, from 15 to 18 months depending on the vintage and the profile of each wine, precedes the blending stage.
"This attention paid to the vineyardunderlines the determination to produceelegant wines whose quality and inimitable nobilityare a reminder of the nature of the placeand the good will of those who preserve it."
Stanislas DROIN
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