Winemaker Notes
This 12 hectare property is situated on a clay-limestone terroir on the right bank of the Dordogne. The average age of the vines is 30 years.
Blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Château Le Rey Les Rocheuses is a bigger, denser wine that might not have the elegance of the Les Argileuses yet offers more depth and texture while still being beautifully seamless and balanced. Black raspberries, cherries, spicy wood, and sappy flower notes define the nose, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a broad, expansive mouthfeel and a great finish. It's a brilliant bottle of wine to drink any time over the coming decade.
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James Suckling
Ripe currants and plums on the nose with some mushrooms and iron. Full-bodied with round, lightly chewy tannins that give the wine structure and intensity. Beautiful length and focus.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Blended of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Les Rocheuses has 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.5. Yields were 38 hectoliters per hectare this year, and the wine is being aged in French oak barriques, 20% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the nose sings of freshly crushed black cherries, blackberries and mulberries with suggestions of Marmite toast, smoked meats and cast-iron pan plus a waft of cracked black pepper. Full-bodied, the palate delivers bags of ripe, juicy black fruits with a sturdy frame of grainy tannins, finishing with appealing freshness and with plenty of minerals.
Range: 90-92
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Though the region is larger than many of its Right Bank neighbors, it is one that consistently produces high quality, well-valued red wines. In fact, Cotes de Castillon can almost be considered a geographical eastern extension of St. Emilion, producing similarly-fashioned reds based on Merlot.
Vineyards in the region’s clay, limestone and sandstone soils produce sturdy red wines. On alluvial terraces, in vineyards closer to the Dordogne River, wines tend to be more supple and fruity. In either case, a great Cotes de Castillon red will be bursting with raspberry, plum and blueberry, have an enticing bouquet of dried flowers and a finish that is plush and opulent.