Chateau La Rousselle Fronsac, Bordeaux, Complete Guide

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

Chateau La Rousselle History, Overview

Chateau La Rousselle is one of the older estates in the region. The vineyard dates all the way back to the 1600’s, when it was founded by a member of the Rousselle family.

However, the true modern era for Chateau La Rousselle is quite recent as that starts in 1971 when the Fronsac estate was purchased by the Davau family. At the time of the purchase by the Davau family, Chateau La Rousselle was in a dilapidated condition and everything required work.

The new owners began an extensive renovation program from the ground up starting with the chateau, wine cellars and wine making facilities.

The vineyard demanded expensive replanting. The truth is, everything needed to be renovated and completely modernized. In fact, as we mentioned, the Chateau La Rousselle vineyard was also in serious need of major replanting as well.

All that work paid off because these days it’s easy to see the quality in the wines. In fact, these days, Chateau La Rousselle is making one of the top wines in the Fronsac appellation. Vivien Davau. sold the vineyard to Enzo Ide, who also owns Chateau Lucia, in St. Emilion.

Chateau La Rousselle Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 4.6 hectare Right Bank vineyard of Chateau La Rousselle is planted to 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet Sauvignon vines have been removed. The terroir is clay and limestone soils. The vines are old. On average, the vines are close to 35 years of age, with some parcels having older vines.

To produce the wine of Chateau La Rousselle, after whole berry vinification, the wine is aged in 50%, new, French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel.

The team of Stephane Derenoncourt acts as the consultant for the winemaking as well as the vineyard management at Chateau La Rousselle. On average, the production is close to 1,500 cases of wine per vintage.

The best vintages of Chateau La Rousselle are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010 and 2009.

When to Drink Chateau La Rousselle, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau La Rousselle is better with at least 2-3 years of aging in good vintages. Young vintages can be decanted for up to 1 hour, helping the wine soften to help develop the aromatic character.

Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau La Rousselle offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 2-10 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau La Rousselle with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau La Rousselle is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau La Rousselle is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes. Chateau La Rousselle is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms and pasta.