Château Rahoul Rouge is made mainly from Merlot (60-80%) as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and in some vintages a bit of Petit Verdot. On arrival at the cellar, the grapes are sorted manually on a vibrating sorting table, and then undergo a cold skin maceration for 4-5 days before being fermented separately by grape variety and parcel in classic wooden fermentation vats. The malolactic fermentation takes place partly in tank and in casks for the best parcels. Finally, the wine is matured for approx. 12 months in French barriques (20-30% new depending on the vintage).
This “haute couture” treatment, as they call it at the castle, gives a red Graves where finesse and charm have been emphasized. The color is deep, ruby red. The predominance of Merlot gives fruity, immediate aromas of dark cherries and a very refreshing minerality, while Cabernet Sauvignon adds discreet nuances of blackberry and blackcurrant and a firm structure, already in the scent. In the mouth, the wine is very complex and nicely rounded, with a very finely integrated wood character. It ends delicately, rounded and harmoniously with – again – a nice minerality and at the same time nice nuances of cedar wood and tobacco. A very well-made, appetizing red wine.
Château Rahoul is well suited to dishes with veal, beef or lamb, but will also be perfect with game dishes.
The history behind Château Rahoul goes all the way back to 1646, when knight Guillaume Rahoul built his residence near Portets in the Graves area and planted vines at the same time. However, it is only after the French Revolution that the castle is really noted for its wines. In the 2nd edition (1868) of Féret’s famous Bordeaux wine guide, Château Rahoul is thus placed among the 10 best wine castles in Graves. At the time, the château was owned by the famous wine merchant and shipowner in Bordeaux, Pierre Balguerie, whose initials still adorn the château’s entrance to this day.
In the 20th century, the castle had changing owners, but the biggest improvements occurred when Alain Thiénot took over the castle in 1986, and not least when the wine company Dourthe entered into a collaboration with Thiénot in 2007. Both parties have thus invested a lot of resources in bringing Château Rahoul back to being one of the best wine producers in Graves.
Today, the castle has over 40 hectares. vineyards (of which 5 ha. produce white wine) spread over no fewer than 54 parcels and on 5 different terroirs (in the areas of Portets, Podensac, Illats, Saint-Selvé and Arbanats). This diversity is undoubtedly one of the secrets behind Château Rahoul’s ability to produce wines of great complexity and quality, almost regardless of vintage. The soils mainly consist of sand and pebbles (graves) which produce more elegant and velvety wines, which is precisely a characteristic of the wines from Château Rahoul.
