Château de Rouanne is a historic estate with a 12th century medieval castle, situated on a classified Roman site located in the southern Rhône Valley. The name of the estate comes from "Rugius", which is said to be the name of the original Roman owner. The estate totals 177 acres (72 hectares), including 153 acres (62 hectares) of vines. Château de Rouanne was purchased by Louis Barruol, owner and winemaker of Château de Saint Cosme, in May of 2019. Barruol sees enormous potential in Château de Rouanne, having worked with the previous owners for years as a source for some of his négociant wines. “It reminds me a lot of Saint Cosme when I took it over in 1992. It’s an unknown sleeping beauty waiting for a vigneron to truly love it.”
Location of Vineyard
Château de Rouanne is located in the appellation of Vinsobres, which was established in 2006. The appellation is situated in the northern part of the southern Rhône. Like Gigondas, it is a relatively cool-climate region thanks in part to the “Pontias”, a cold, nocturnal wind that blows down from the Alps into the valley through the town of Nyons and into Vinsobres. Vinsobres is particularly known for producing outstanding Grenache-based wines.
Winemaking Philosophy
Louis Barruol assisted with the winemaking at Rouanne for the 2018 vintage, which is the inaugural wine for the estate under his ownership. He uses a similar philosophy to winemaking at Château de Rouanne as at Saint Cosme, highlighting the distinctive freshness of the cooler climate Vinsobres and marrying it with the characteristic ripeness of the Southern Rhône.
