Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesBarrel Sample: 89-91
The history of Chateau Rahoul began in the second half of the 17th century, when Chevalier Guillaume Rahoul built this pretty chartreuse and gave it its name. In a fitting tribute, the label features the Chevalier’s coat of arms, which is still displayed today on the fireplace in the salon. After the French Revolution, the estate passed to the Balguerie family who were highly influential negociants and shipowners on the Place de Bordeaux, who extended and renovated the Chateau and developed the vineyard in order to sell the wines on the Place. A vine-growing estate since the 18th century, Chateau Rahoul would not be sold in bottle until the 1970s when the estate was acquired by David Robson, an Englishman with a passion for Bordeaux wines, who completely restructured the vineyard and proved his desire to create premium quality wines at Rahoul. In the early 80s, the remarkable quality of the wines was responsible for its ascent among the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux. Further to a spell of Australian and Danish ownership, Alain Thiénot acquired the estate in 1986. Dourthe Estates were entrusted with the management of the property in 2007.
Famous for both its red and white wines, Graves is a large region, extending 30 miles southeast of the city of Bordeaux, along the left bank of the Garonne River. Red wine producing vineyards cover well over three times as much area as the whites. In the late 1980s, the French created the separate appellation of Pessac-Léognan within the northern confines of Graves. It includes all of its most famous properties, and the southern suburbs of the city Bordeaux itself. In French "graves" is a term used to indicate gravelly soils.
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.