The two vat-cellars at the château contain oak tuns and temperature-controlled stainless steel vats for closely controlled vinification, with wine in the vats for 22 to 25 days depending on the vintage. The latest equipment, in particular the installation of a mechanical crusher, permits high-precision extractions and vinification. Sophie Burguet, the cellar-master, is a marvel of passionate enthusiasm and feminine sensitivity in this domain.
The barrel-cellar contains barrels that are exclusively of French oak from the forests of Bertrange, Jupilles, and Allier. Our principal partners, Nadalié, Sylvain, Vicard, Allary, Taransaud, etc, in collaboration with our team select the finest oak, that is dried for a minimum of 36 months, to provide ‘haute couture’ barrels. The blending of this noble wood with the profoundness and elegance of our terroir allows us to attain the archetype of a great Pessac Leognan wine.
Time works wonders…
Precise blending under the auspices of the famous enologist Eric Boissenot
In view of our ambition to strive for excellence Eric, who habitually advises the great majority of the Medoc first growths (Lafitte-Rothschild, Latour, Margaux, etc), has accepted for the first time to apply his talent to the prestigious Pessac-Leognan appellation, and has thus become our official enologist. In order to totally immerge himself in the specificities and the character of a wine, and to study the impact of the terroir, Eric Boissenot takes all his time to taste the production. He delicately blends wines to guide them towards their optimum expression. In line with the philosophy of Laurent Cisneros and his team, he works with precision to improve the refinement of the wines and concentrate the tannins with a continuing search for the right balance that tends towards a degree of excellence that corresponds to his own talent.
The influence of Eric Boissenot’s personal touch since his first intervention in 2009 has led to added value in the style of the wines and our ambitions for Chateau de Rouillac.