Château Rouget: Vineyards
As indicated in my introduction to this profile, despite a fairly central location close to the summit of the Pomerol plateau and neighbouring some famous properties, Château Rouget is secluded behind a dense screen of mature trees. Its nearest neighbours are Château La Croix de Gay, which lies slightly up the slope, to the east, and Château L’Église-Clinet, which is also slightly upslope of the Rouget estate, this time to the south. To the west, the slope falls away, the soils turning lighter and eventually more sandy. While to the north, of course, there runs the Barbanne, the natural boundary between the Pomerol and Lalande-de-Pomerol appellations.
There are today 17 hectares of vines to this estate, two-thirds of which are planted directly around the château, on a gentle slope running away from the plateau of Pomerol down to the Barbanne. Other parcels are of higher standing, including some close to Château Petit Village, Le Pin and Château Trotanoy. These are all parcels acquired by the current proprietors since taking over in 1992. The acquisitions together with replanting helped to rebalance the vineyard, which today is 85% Merlot, while the remaining 15% is all Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet Sauvignon that was here during the 1980s has now long since disappeared. The vines are aged about 40 years on average, and are planted at a density of 7,500 pieds per hectare.
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