Château Rouget

Château Rouget appeared in Pomerol's land register as early as 1700 and is considered one of the first official Crus of Pomerol. It is at this time, that the Bayonne family built their château. The last member of the family involved in the estate was Pierre Bayonne, who was also the mayor of Pomerol under the First Empire. However, for most of the estate’s existence, it remained in the shadows of its more famous neighbors. This trend however, began to change when it was sold to Jean-Pierre Labruyère in 1992. He invested heavily, redoing the vinification cellar and replanting parts of its vineyard (which included the removal of the lesser successful Cabernet Sauvignon). Therefore, thanks to the efforts of the Labruyère family, Rouget was able to restore its former glory. The famed, Michel Rolland was also hired in 1997 as a consultant. Rouget’s vineyards are planted to mostly Merlot (85%) with the remaining being Cabernet Franc (15%). Over the years, the style of the house has evolved and it tends to be more full-throttled with lots of impressive density, richness and spicy fruit.