Château de la Rivière: Vineyards
The Château de la Rivière estate is expansive, and it is certainly the largest in the appellation of Fronsac. There are 85 hectares all told, of which 65 hectares are dedicated to vineyards. Most of the remainder is woodland. The terroir here is predominantly Molasses du Fronsadais, a clay and limestone terroir, with just 30 to 40 centimetres of loose soil at the surface and in places many metres of limestone beneath. This huge depth of rock has lead to some quarrying in years gone by, and as a result the estate is blessed with a huge labyrinth of cellars, with storage capacity for many millions of bottles.
One-third of the vines sit on a sweep of limestone which sits behind the château, whereas the remainder sit in front of the château where there is more clay on the limestone. The vines peter out as the vineyard descends, as the soils become more sandy and thus less suitable for viticulture. One other feature of the estate that makes viticulture slightly more challenging is the presence of multiple fresh water springs, which necessitates good drainage in the vineyard. Incidentally, these springs are the source not only of good quality drinking water (the late James Grégoire undertook an analysis) but also prompted a previous proprietor to construct a secret bathing pool, hidden in the woods behind the château.
