The domain

Château Roquebert is located in the center of the protected designation of origin area called Côtes de Bordeaux, in the commune Quinsac,10 minutes South-East of Bordeaux. It is situated on the South/South-East facing hills of the Garonne « terraces » and overlooks the valley. The ideal sunshine for wine cultivation combines with the oceanic influence and with the Château’s two terroirs to create a perfect synergy with the Bordeaux grape variety. The Merlot’s clay-limestone soil, therefore, imparts an admirably powerful quality and the elegance of the Cabernet Sauvignon comes into its own on the gravelly soil area. 

The Château Roquebert vineyard covers an area of 5 ha divided between the Merlot (90%) and the Cabernets Sauvignon wines (10%). Planting density is 5500 vines/ha and the vines have an average age of 30.

Amongst the 7 parcels belonging to the Château (Sages, Poumies, Chaurron, Martet Haut, Martet Bas, Maran, Château d’eau), some which have been resting until now and are going to be planted in 2014 with a view to rejuvenating the vineyard. Their raisons will add freshness and vibrancy to the Roquebert wines.

The Château’s motto is : make the best of the vineyard’s potential. To do this, winemaking is carried out in a traditional way (most of the work is done manually) using as little chemical input as possible. By conviction, Château Roquebert also plans to convert to organic farming. 

Essentially, winter pruning (into a simple Guyot  or mixed Guyot shape) determines the quantity of grapes that a vine is going to produce. Nicolas is trying to use this process to have each vine produce the quantity it is capable of producing, not more, but not less either. Then he will focus on the quality of the grapes during the work carried out in the summer. Removing shoots and buds will mean any useless vegetation can be eliminated, and the bunches of grapes are ventilated to avoid fungal contamination. Removing shoots and thinning (if the climate conditions makes this mandatory) will enhance grape ripening as the harvest approaches.