Château Rolland de By

Rollan de By is a set of 200 hectares vineyard and produces 7 wines of quality, recognized and rewarded on numerous occasions. To discover the treasures found in our area, let yourself be tempted by a tasting, “Rollan de By is a companion full of humor and fantasy. It’s a charmer that one wants to follow in his secret garden full of scents and flavors. In its refinement and elegance, he is the image of the “bon vivant” and friend who will never disappoint you. Faithfully, he will accompany you in your travels and share in the good mood the different cuisines that you might impose. A friend, a real one!”.      

When we design each of our wines, we want to give the best interpretation of the essence of the Medoc, obtaining the perfect combination of 4 components : our soils, the grape varieties, the environment and the expertise of our teams. On a daily basis, the passion and dedication of our teams are the bases of the achievement of our goals: the pursuit of excellence, innovation and environmental protection.

Thanks to this constant work, the estate has successfully made his way to become one of the over-acheiving estate in the Medoc. In 2009, the renovation of the winery was the opportunity to install 5,670 solar panels on the roofs of warehouses and agricultural buildings, and become forerunner of a new generation of eco-friendly vineyards.

Historically, wine has always been a source of inspiration for artists. How not to draw a parallel between the pleasure given by a glass of wine and the enjoyment one can get looking at a painting, a sculpture, or listening to the music ? Wines invite to reflection and meditation. A glass of the same wine tasted at various occasions, always provides a different feel. Son of an Antique dealer, Jean Guyon has always been living in an universe where aesthetics is the leitmotiv.

Before entering the wine business, he worked as a interior designer. He now owns a collection of old paintings and contemporary art and likes to refer to this beautiful bronze statuette, a faun holding a bunch of grapes : "It symbolizes the love of the grape. Before the love for wine." Wine is a work of art, and like all masterpieces, what counts is to drink it, as much as to talk about it.

Located in the northern part of Medoc, not far from the Atlantic Ocean and close to the Estuary of the Gironde, the Domaines Rollan de By is a 180-hectare vineyard that benefits from a microclimate, protected from extreme conditions. Taking care of every detail, viniculturists have chosen the best areas to cultivate each grape variety. The vines are about 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc.

On gravelly soil, combined with sand and clay sub-layers, the vines have their roots deep into the arid soil. We implemented a rational way of culture that respects the environment as much as possible and return to traditional viticulture without excluding new technologies when they provide quality benefits.A minutious daily care is given to the maintenance and development of our vineyard.

Grand finale of a vintage, this is a very intense period that marks the end of a cycle in the vineyard and the birth of new wines in the cellar. During the preceding weeks, our team tastes cautiously some grapes in each vine field. We harvest each plot at its optimum maturity. The search for optimal "phenolic maturity" is the watchword, the sugar content is not a sufficient criterion for assessing the maturity of the grapes.

Each variety is harvested separately. In the winery, the grapes are de-stemmed and then carefully sorted, taking away all the plant parts and berries in poor condition. Everything is done to protect the berries until their arrival in.

After being sorted, the grapes are sent into stainless steel vats for fermentation. The gentle extraction of flavors, colors and tannins occurs. The precise control of fermentation temperatures helps in selecting the softest tannins and preserve the structure of the fruit. The vinification of each of our wines will depend on the characteristics of the year and grape quality, thus focusing on the expression of the terroir. The " malolactic " fermentation then takes place in new French oak barrels . The ageing process will discretely reveal aromas and flavors, depending on the nature of wood and intensity of heat that will bring the wines their roundness and smoothness. 

The strongest ambition is to create pleasant wines. Just like Jean GUYON, our wines have a very strong personality, based on the roundness of Merlot associated with Cabernet Sauvignon. But what makes the originality of the estate is the 10% Petit Verdot, giving the wines an intense color and a remarkable freshness.