Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt Pessac Leognan, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt Pessac Leognan with wine tasting notes and wine-with-food pairing tips. Learn the best vintages, a history of the property, and information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt History, Overview

The modern era of Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt begins in 2006 when the popular Bonnie family purchased the estate from the Michotte family. The Michotte family had owned the vineyard since 1966.

During their tenure, the wines being produced at Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt were fairly undistinguished. That has certainly changed today. But let’s step back for a bit. Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt does have a long history in the Graves region.

The chateau, which is still in use was built in the 17th century. Until fairly recently, the wines were sold first, under the name of Chateau Gazin et Bourbon. That name was eventually shortened to just Chateau Gazin.

However, the owners of Chateau Gazin in Pomerol insisted the owners change the name, which is how the property came to be known as Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt. That took place starting with the 1995 vintage.

Once the Bonnie family took over managing the estate, they invested large sums of money to renovate and modernize the estate. The work started in the vineyard with not only replanting complete parcels with the correct grape varieties for their soils. Much of the vineyard had to be replanted as there were several parcels with plantings as high as 90% Cabernet. They also increased the density of the vineyard with the new plantings.

The cellars and chais were completely modernized, redesigned, and rebuilt which gave them the addition of new, temperature-controlled, double-lined, stainless steel tanks for the first time. The cellars were now completely gravity-fed. This allowed for a parcel-by-parcel vinification, which led to a jump in the quality of their wine.

The Bonnie family continued to expand their holdings in the Pessac Leognan appellation when they purchased Chateau Malartic Lagraviere, the following year in 2007.

2017 is the final vintage for Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt. Starting with the 2020 vintage, the vineyard was annexed into Chateau Malartic Lagraviere as part of their new second wine, Le Comte de Malartic.

Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 28-hectare estate of Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt has 19.5 hectares planted to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot. 2.5 hectares of the vineyard are reserved for the production of white Bordeaux wine that is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

The Sauvignon Blanc is planted in the cooler terroir, which is where you find the limestone soils. has 22 cultivated hectares of vineyard land. The terroir is gravel, clay, limestone, and sandy soils. The red wine grape vines are young, due to all the replanting, they are on average 15 years of age. The peak elevation is 49 meters.

The best terroir of Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt is placed close to the chateau, just to the east of the chais. All work in the vineyards is done using only self-sustaining, farming techniques with serious attention to creating a bio-diverse environment. They were HVE certified, (High Environmental Value) in 2015 and maintain portions of the vineyard using organic and biodynamic practices.

For the production of the red wine for Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt, vinification takes place in stainless steel vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in tanks. The wine is aged in an average of 40% new, French oak barrels for between 15 to 20 months, depending on the vintage.

Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt began producing white Bordeaux wine starting with the 2010 vintage. The wine is barrel fermented. There is limited skin contact. The wine is aged on its lees. There is no malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged in 30-50% new French oak barrels for 10 to 12 months.

There is a second wine, Chateau Gazin-Michotte. The annual production of Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt for the red wine is 10,000 cases. The white is limited to about 700 cases per vintage. Michel Rolland is the consultant.

The best vintages of Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt are: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010 and 2009. Although it is important to note that there are vintages when the red wine is much better than the white wine, as well as years when the whites are better than the reds.

The Bonnie family also own Bodega Diamandes in the Mendoza region of Argentina. Bodega Diamandes makes both red and white wine including a Viognier. Both the red and white wine of Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt are well-made, fairly priced examples of Bordeaux wine that can be enjoyed young, without breaking the bank.

When to Drink Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt can be enjoyed on the young side with decanting. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1 hour, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt is usually better with at least 4-7 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 6-16 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt, with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. The red wine of Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted braised, and grilled dishes.

Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta as well as cheese. The white wine of Chateau Gazin-Rocquencourt is a perfect white wine to serve with shellfish, sashimi, sushi, all types of seafood, chicken, veal, and cheese.

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