CHATEAU ROC DE LEVRAUT BORDEAUX SUPERIEUR 2009

Description and Press Reviews
Wine Style: Full Bodied Red  

Château Roc de Levraut is regularly an award winning wine and is produced by  Remi and Roger Ballarin, who also own Chateaux Loyasson and Vieux Balestard.  They are the  third generation to run the Roc de Levrault.  The family purchased the chateau in the 1930s and back then the work was was carried out with a pair of oxen.  Today the Ballarins employ sustainable agriculture alongside modern oenology to respect the land and the grapes.  The chateau vineyards lie near Sauveterre de Guyenne – Guyenne being the  historic Duchy of Guyenne (the old name for Aquitaine) that was once under English rule for more than 300 years.

This Roc de Levraut is a Bordeaux Supérieur and wines from this AOC have stricter production norms. They are produced from selected vineyard plots, older vines, smaller yields and the producer must age the wines a minimum of 12 months before selling them. As a result, these wines are generally more complex and have a better ageing potential.  This is a wine to be enjoyed with food – it is velvety smooth with well integrated tannins and has flavours of blackcurrant, vanilla, liquorice, redcurrant and cherry.  Try it with  braised beef recipes such as osso bucco, steak a la bordelaise as well as game, duck and roast pork.

Recommended food and wine pairing:
Super with Confit de Canard Pommes Sarladaises (duck confit cooked with potatoes in Sarladaises bacon, parsley, garlic and herb sauce from Sarlat), Confit de Canard aux Lentilles (duck confit cooked in a flavoursome Puy lentil sauce) and Confit de Canard Gastonomique (award winning duck confit from Castelnaudary).

Gary White:  Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society
Tasted 03/09/11 with Beata, Sara and Jean-Marc. 13.5%. 60/40 CS/M blend. £8.35 from Bordeaux Undiscovered. Clear, mid-purple colour, cassis on the nose, firmer tannins, well balanced and a good finish. Plenty of berry fruits on the palate. A well made wine, from 2012. 15.5/20