France · Libournais

Château Laroque

Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé château with a 61 hectare holding, a Grand Vin, and Les Tours de Laroque as its secondary wine.

The producer

Château Laroque is a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé estate in Saint-Christophe des Bardes, northeast of Saint-Emilion village. Its vineyard covers 61 hectares in one undivided holding. The estate produces Château Laroque as its Grand Vin and Les Tours de Laroque as a secondary wine. Organic farming is used without official organic certification, while HVE certification covers biodiversity. The Grand Vin spends 12 months in French oak barrels, half of them new, before bottling.

Known for

Saint-Emilion classified red wines

Notable facts

The story

David Suire Takes Over

In 2015, David Suire became director of the estate. His background included work with Nicolas Thienpont and Stéphane Derenoncourt. The appointment marked a turning point for Château Laroque, with refined winemaking practices aligned with his prior work with those collaborators. The château stayed in Saint-Christophe des Bardes, but the person leading the estate changed. The consequence was a new phase of cellar work under Suire's direction.

From the atlas

Château Laroque

A classified Saint-Emilion château with one large vineyard, a Grand Vin, and an older vine secondary wine.

At A Glance

ClassificationSaint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé
LocationSaint-Christophe des Bardes, northeast of Saint-Emilion village
Vineyard61 hectares, the largest undivided holding in Saint-Emilion
WinesChâteau Laroque Grand Vin and Les Tours de Laroque secondary wine
FarmingOrganic practices without organic certification, with HVE certification for biodiversity

The Producer

The main château was constructed in the seventeenth century, while Château Laroque itself dates to the twelfth. The estate produces a Grand Vin and a secondary wine under the Saint-Emilion name. Its large undivided vineyard gives the property a single estate address, while Les Tours de Laroque provides a separate secondary bottling.

David Suire became director of the estate in 2015. He is known for his work with Nicolas Thienpont and Stéphane Derenoncourt. Château Laroque combines an old château, a broad vineyard holding, and two red wines with distinct places in the range.

Place

Saint-Christophe des Bardes lies northeast of Saint-Emilion village, placing Château Laroque within the Saint-Emilion appellation. Grand Cru Classé is the estate's formal classification within that appellation, identifying a classified château rather than a separate village.

The commune name and the Saint-Emilion name perform different jobs on the label. One locates the estate; the other identifies the appellation and classification attached to its wines.

Story

After the Great Depression, Château Laroque's vineyards were inactive for a period. All the vines were replanted in 1962. The property itself had older roots, dating to the twelfth century, while the main château was built in the seventeenth.

The later management chapter brought David Suire to the estate after work with Nicolas Thienpont and Stéphane Derenoncourt. The estate's documented sequence runs from a historic château, through a production hiatus and full replanting, to a later change in leadership.

Vineyards And Cellar

The estate farms organically without official organic certification. It also holds HVE certification, Haute Valeur Environnementale, for biodiversity. HVE is an environmental certification focused on biodiversity and wider farm practices.

The Grand Vin is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels before bottling, with 50% of the barrels new. Oak ageing exposes wine gradually to oxygen, while new oak can add spice and a firmer texture as the wine matures.

Wines

Château Laroque is the Grand Vin, with approximately 11,000 cases produced in an average vintage. Total estate production exceeds 25,000 cases. Les Tours de Laroque is the secondary wine and can exceed 8,000 cases annually.

Les Tours comes from a selection of over 50 year old vines made through Massal Selection, a method of choosing vine material from selected older plants for propagation. Its blend is 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc.

In The Glass

The 2014 Château Laroque is medium bodied, with a forward, leafy red berry character and a cherry and herb finish. The wine stays fresh and direct, with its fruit and herbal notes clearly separated in the glass.

The 2020 Les Tours de Laroque opens with dark cherry, plum and blackcurrant layered with mocha and cedar, alongside a refreshing chalky mineral scent. Its medium to full body carries velvety tannins, ample fruit depth, cedar and cocoa, finishing with mineral drive. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, blood orange and crushed rocks add a second register to the wine's aroma and finish.

A Bottle To Understand It

Château Laroque 2014 is the Grand Vin, a Saint-Emilion red carrying the château name as the estate's primary bottling. Les Tours de Laroque occupies the secondary wine tier, so the two labels offer a direct comparison between the estate's main wine and its second bottling. The 2014 vintage places the Grand Vin itself at the centre of that comparison.

Anecdote

In 2015, David Suire became director of the estate. His background included work with Nicolas Thienpont and Stéphane Derenoncourt. The appointment marked a turning point for Château Laroque, with refined winemaking practices aligned with his prior work with those collaborators. The château stayed in Saint-Christophe des Bardes, but the person leading the estate changed. The consequence was a new phase of cellar work under Suire's direction.

Final Word

Château Laroque pairs Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé status with a large undivided vineyard, an oak aged Grand Vin, and a secondary wine drawn from older vines.

Sources

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