Château Ripeau: Vineyards
Château Ripeau sits at the western end of the St Emilion appellation, much closer to the boundary with the Pomerol appellation than it is to the town of St Emilion. While Château Figeac and Château Cheval Blanc enjoy the best soils, their vineyards sitting on five low undulations of gravel, most of these other estates at this end of the appellation have more sandy soils. This is true of the three properties which sit to the east of Château Cheval Blanc, which are from west to east Château La Dominique, Château Jean Faure and then Château Ripeau. Continuing eastwards beyond Château Ripeau brings you to the modern-day Corbin sector, and Château Grand Corbin, Château Corbin and Château Chauvin, among others. Just to the south, on the opposite side of the road to Château Ripeau is Château La Commanderie. The château is surrounded by 1.5 hectares of parkland, designed by the Bühler brothers, and of course its vineyards.
There are 16.1 hectares of vines, the soils dominated by light, sandy and gravelly materials, with deeper veins of iron-rich clay. The vines are aged about 35 years, and the varieties are dominated by Merlot and 65% of the surface area, with 30% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
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