THE CHATEAU, A HISTORICAL AND PRESTIGIOUS PROPERTY
Château Roylland is a historical property established in the heart of Saint-Émilion vineyards, close to the medieval village. The château dates to the days of Eleanor of Aquitaine in the 12th century. Its name literally stands for “La Lande du Roy” (The King’s moorland). As it was indeed located on the royal lands of a chapel, the name is quite fitting. Successively, the Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of France and Queen of England, Aliénor of Aquitaine had the small chapel of Saint-Martin-de-Mazerat renovated. All the religious rituals and ceremonies of the village took place in this chapel. Nowadays, it is still within sight of Château Roylland.
A WINE ESTATE RUN BY MARTINE AND JEAN-BERNARD CHAMBARD
In 2010, Martine and Jean-Bernard Chambard became the new owners of Château Roylland and its vineyard. They decided to launch a vast renovation project of the winery, cellar, reception and tasting areas on their arrival.
While running the vineyard, they established Le Gîte du Roy, a high-end tourist accommodation, in 2015. Located in the former harvesters’ house, right in the centre of the estate, it is very popular with visitors keen to experience wine tourism.
Today, the vineyard of Château Roylland is managed using sustainable agriculture, a prospective approach to preserve biodiversity. No herbicide is used, and the grapes are always handpicked. Château Roylland relies on a small team of dedicated professionals headed by Thomas Thiou. In addition, the enologist Stéphane Toutoundji advises and monitors the estate’s production and the vinification of its wines.
THE VINES: GRAPE VARIETIES AND VITICULTURE TECHNIQUES
The vineyard of Château Roylland spans over more than five hectares on predominantly sandy-clay soil at the foot of a hillside. It is composed of 88% merlot and 12% cabernet franc. More than 20,000 bottles of red wine are produced each year by the Château, with a yield of approximately 37 hl.
Martine and Jean-Bernard Chambard are committed to a sustainable agriculture approach, placing biodiversity at the forefront of the vineyard’s operations. Thus, a natural vegetation cover is maintained during the winter and part of the summer. As for vineyard weed management, only very light hoeing is performed. All decisions are made using environmental ethic principles and considering the plant, soil and climate. With biodiversity as a constant objective, the wine estate will start converting to organic viticulture in 2021.
Green harvesting (de-budding, de-stemming, leaf removal) is performed by hand to ensure optimal quality and, of course, the harvest itself with the help of seasonal workers.
HARVEST SEASON AT CHÂTEAU ROYLLAND
How is the harvest season carried out at Château Roylland?
Waiting for the perfect ripening is critical. Grapes are only harvested at optimal maturity, generally late September and early October. They are carried out traditionally, i.e., handpicked, plot by plot, using small crates.
Over three to four days, 65 to 70 hl of grapes are harvested per day. As soon as the crop arrives at the winery, the bunches are de-stemmed. Next, the berries undergo two successive sortings: a Tribaie densitometric sorting then a meticulous manual sorting to guarantee a qualitative selection. Finally, they are poured into vats.
