Great wines,
going back centuries
The unique character of the place, created by a majestic landscape and thick solid walls, evokes a rich and distant past.
Château Laroque, with its mighty 12th century tower, is an imposing feature in the Saint-Emilio area. Located to the south of the village of Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, the estate appears as a defensive stronghold watching over Saint Emilion. Built on a plateau of limestone rock, from which the estate took its name, this outstanding location has been owned by several families, each one of them making their contribution and imparting an added touch of soul to the place.
The restoration of the cellars carried out in the 19th century was the work of Maurice Dufaure de Rochefort, a keen enthusiast of Saint-Emilion wines. Once the new cellars had been completed, he refocused the economic activity of Château Laroque solely on vine-growing.
As far back as the 16th century, the outstanding soils of Château Laroque clearly indicated a suitability for vine-growing and for the production of high quality wines
The wines of Bordeaux were soon to establish their international renown, and among them figured the superb wine produced at this huge Laroque estate which, under the ownership of the Lavie family, made up around 270 hectares (667 acres). During the Second Empire, the estate still covered about 130 hectares (321 acres).
It remains today the largest wine estate in Saint-Emilion with 61 hectares (151 acres) under vine.
“We live season by season at Laroque, in harmony with nature. This is how it has been for generations in this historic Saint-Emilion area.”
Xavier Beaumartin
•
After the phylloxera epidemic and the hard times that ensued, the estate and its wines were given a new lease of life in 1935 thanks to the unstinting work of its new owners: the Beaumartin family.
–
the Beaumartins.
Over the decades that followed, with the appointment of estate manager Bruno Sainson, Château Laroque rediscovered its boldness and identity and emerged as one of the finest growths in Saint-Emilion, rising to the rank of Grand Cru Classé in 1996.
This fresh momentum was maintained by Xavier Beaumartin, at the helm of the property from 2004 and succeeded in 2018 by his nephew Stanislas Droin.
The Beaumartin family brought in David Suire in 2015 to take over the management of the wine estate from Bruno Sainson.
A new chapter has thus begun in the history of this majestic property.
