Château Roc de Levraut

Château Roc de Levraut is a vineyard located near the village of Sauveterre-de-Guyenne in Bordeaux. The château belongs to the Ballarin family of winemakers.

Château Roc de Levraut - the wines of the Ballarins

For 3 generations, the Ballarin family has been growing wine in the small town of Sauveterre-de-Guyenne, southeast of the wine city of Bordeaux. They produce wines of the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur appellations. The origins of viticulture under the name Château Roc de Levraut can be traced back to 1932. Rémi Ballarin has been running the estate since 2001.

The Ballarins own 40 hectares of vineyards in Sauveterre-de-Guyenne. The following grape varieties are cultivated there:

• Merlot with 60 % of the area
• Cabernet Sauvignon with 40 % area share

Terroir in Sauveterre-de-Guyenne

The soils, as is so typical of the Entre-Deux-Mers sub-region, are characterised by clay and limestone. The top layer is covered with a thin layer of gravel. In addition, there are always larger boulders, which are regionally called Roc de Levraut. This is how the Château Roc de Levraut got its name. The vines enjoy sunlight throughout the day due to the southern exposure of the slopes, which allows for optimal ripening.

The production of Château Roc de Levraut

After harvesting at full ripeness, the grapes are sorted by hand in the winery. Fermentation takes place at controlled temperatures for a total of 3 weeks. The wines then begin to mature, with the settling lees being regularly removed in order to clarify the wines naturally.

This also increases the oxygen supply to the wine, which makes the tannins smoother. Maturation takes place over a total of one year, after which the wine is finally drawn into the bottle. 

An insider tip for Bordeaux fans

The wines from Château Roc de Levraut do not have a Cru classification, but they are still of such high quality that they can easily keep up with the competition from their own wine region and offer an excellent price-performance ratio.