Château du Rocher is the oldest family-owned wine estate in Saint-Émilion, with continuous activity dating back to 1507. Today it's headed by the Comtesse B. de Sercey, heir to over five centuries of family tradition, on a 16-hectare vineyard in Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse with vines averaging 60 years old, including some centenary parcels. The estate has been certified organic since 2012 and favors gentle techniques that preserve soil balance and biodiversity.
This 2020 bottle carries the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation, a stricter classification than standard Saint-Émilion requiring lower yields, longer aging, and approval from a tasting panel. Grown on clay-limestone, iron-rich soils that give the wine power and aromatic finesse, it's a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, hand-harvested and aged in French oak barrels. Expect ripe black cherry, plum, and cassis layered with violet, cocoa, cedar, and hints of graphite, framed by supple tannins and balanced acidity.
The result is a polished, age-worthy Bordeaux with both immediate appeal and real structure, from a family whose winemaking history predates most of Bordeaux's classified estates.