Château de Rochemorin: Vineyards
As noted in my history of the estate, Château de Rochemorin is located in the commune of Martillac, and was admitted into the Pessac-Léognan appellation when it was signed off in the late 1980s. Prior to that it was in the Graves appellation, although it is worth noting that for much of the 20th century there was little or no active viticulture here. The nearest neighbour of note is Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, which lies directly north; the vineyards are almost contiguous, just 1.3 kilometres separating the two cellars, so a walk from one to the other is a quick affair. Other venerated voisins include Château Haut-Bailly and Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion, and just to the west there is a business hub, the Technopole Bordeaux Montesquieu. No coincidence, I am sure.
The cellars sit at an altitude of 56 metres above sea level, on one of the highest gravelly hilltops in the Pessac-Léognan appellation. The soils underfoot are a mix of sands, gravels and clays typical of the region. The sections of the vineyard which are richer in sandy soils and lighter gravels, often scattered with shells, are favoured for the white vines. The red vines, meanwhile, are planted on sections which are mostly deeper gravels, or where the gravel is mixed with clay.
There are 56 hectares of vines planted at present, of which 14 hectares are dedicated to white varieties, an impressive white vineyard for the region, where many châteaux – even those renowned for their whites – have only a hectare or two. The vines planted are 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Semillon, unusual for any Lurton estate where Sauvignon Blanc has enjoyed complete domination for decades. This is now changing though, and Semillon is appearing in many Vignobles Andre Lurton vineyards, albeit not in the wine in the case of Château de Rochemorin as – at the time of writing this profile – the vines are still too young.
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