Château Rochebelle

The estate

Rochebelle takes its name from the stone. Martial Musquin, a quarryman, bought the estate in 1847, and the caves under it, cut into the rock in the 18th century, were where men like him worked and sheltered. In 1925 it passed to his granddaughter Marie Marty, widow of Marius Faniest, who was killed in the First World War, and she ran it alone with her 2 sons, Raoul and Georges Faniest. Raoul’s son Philippe Faniest has it today, and his daughter Émilie Faniest, an oenologist, works beside him. The revision of 2012 made Rochebelle a Grand Cru Classé, and the list approved in September 2022 confirmed it.

The 3 hectares sit on the asteriated limestone plateau, between 85 and 94 meters above the river, on a gentle slope facing between east and southeast. The soils are brown limestone soils 30 centimeters to 1 meter deep over the rock, which stops the roots, keeps the vigor down and feeds the vines by capillarity in a dry spell. The vines are 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, 45 years old on average. The estate joined the environmental management system of the Bordeaux wines in 2017, under ISO 14001, and has been certified Haute Valeur Environnementale (High Environmental Value, the French state’s environmental certification for farms) since 2019. The wine is raised in the old quarry caves at a constant 13 degrees and 85% humidity, in new barrels renewed every year.

At a glance

Appellation

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Commune

Saint-Émilion, on the asteriated limestone plateau

Classification

Grand Cru Classé, 2012 and 2022

Owners

The Faniest family, heirs of Martial Musquin, since 1847; Philippe Faniest, with his daughter Émilie Faniest

Vineyard

3 hectares, between 85 and 94 meters above the river

Ground

Brown limestone soils 30 centimeters to 1 meter deep over asteriated limestone

Grapes

Merlot 85%, Cabernet Franc 15%; vines 45 years old on average

Farming

ISO 14001 since 2017; Haute Valeur Environnementale since 2019

Cellar

Caves of the 18th century cut in the rock, at 13 degrees and 85% humidity; new barrels every year

Wines

Château Rochebelle

Sources: Château Rochebelle, a history · Château Rochebelle, the terroir · Château Rochebelle, the monolithic caves · Association des Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Émilion, Château Rochebelle · Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité, the Saint-Émilion classification of 2022