Chateau Ripeau

History

Château Ripeau is located at 2720 Route de Vachoin Saint-Émilion and is operated by the Grégoire family. If you contact this property directly, the name listed as the contact person is Cyrille Grégoire.

Their stance on this vineyard is straightforward. As they put it, producing excellent wine at Ripeau is not about achieving some great feat, but simply about properly bringing out the value of the terroir. This is because the vineyard itself is worthy of being ranked among the very best.

Construction was carried out to put this belief into practice. With the clear goal of drawing out even more potential from the soil than before, new facilities were built. Few wineries are open about these details.

The vineyards

Château Ripeau cultivates 16 hectares of vineyards in the Saint-Émilion appellation. By Bordeaux standards, this is a small operation, so small, in fact, that you can walk through the entire vineyard in just an afternoon.

The average age of the vines is about 35 years. This is a more significant factor than one might think. Older roots dig deeper into the soil; while they produce lower yields, they tend to withstand severe summer droughts better than younger vines.

A distinctive feature of this vineyard's layout is the 1.5-hectare park adjacent to the property; the vineyard emphasizes that this is a rare occurrence among the châteaux in the Saint-Émilion region. This park is also a key stop on the guided tours that allow visitors to explore the vineyard and experience the winemaking process before the tasting.

The terroir

Ripeau's soils are not uniform, and that is the point. Clay-limestone runs through the property, with sandier ground elsewhere and a seam of iron oxide, the crasse de fer that Saint-Émilion growers on this side of the appellation talk about constantly.

Iron-rich subsoil is associated with structure and a certain savoury edge in the wine, while clay holds water for Merlot and limestone keeps acidity from collapsing in warm years. Sand, meanwhile, gives softer, earlier-drinking fruit.

Having all of it inside 16 hectares means Château Ripeau can plant to the ground rather than to a formula.

The grapes

The composition ratio of Château Ripeau follows the standard ratio of Saint-Émilion, but the composition ratio of Cabernet Franc is somewhat non-standard:

• Merlot, 65%


• Cabernet Franc, 30%


• Cabernet Sauvignon, the remaining 5%

The 30% Cabernet Franc plays a substantial role, rather than merely serving as a flavor enhancer. This variety contributes fragrant aromas, a graphite-like edge, and firm tannins that prevent Merlot-dominant wines from becoming too soft and jam-like.

Cabernet Sauvignon plays a supporting role, and its proportion varies by vintage. For example, the 2016 vintage had a blend with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and accordingly, the proportion of Cabernet Franc was relatively reduced. Blending here is tailored to the characteristics of each specific year rather than following a fixed recipe.

Winemaking

At Château Ripeau, harvesting is done by hand. This 16-hectare vineyard is harvested by hand, which offers the advantage of being able to sort the harvested fruit immediately. The winery's philosophy is most clearly evident during the aging phase, as it uses only 100% new oak barrels every year. It is unusual to use this much new oak at an estate of this size, and fully ripe, concentrated fruit is essential to handle it.

Annual production amounts to approximately 50,000 bottles, or about 375 hectoliters. The wines produced are sold worldwide.

In addition, the winery holds ISO 14001 certification, an environmental management standard rather than an organic certification. This certification focuses on how the winery is operated, rather than what is planted in the vineyards.

The wines

Château Ripeau is a Grand Cru Classé and this winery's flagship wine. It is a red Saint-Émilion based on Merlot and blended with a significant amount of Cabernet Franc; it is aged in new oak barrels, has a full-bodied flavor, and in recent warm vintages, typically has an alcohol content of around 14%.

Alongside this, Tour de Ripeau is bottled under the name Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. The second wine is generally best enjoyed sooner.

Both wines are red. Since Saint-Émilion does not produce classified white wines, its product lineup is, by definition, relatively narrow, and the winery's stated approach is clear: meticulous management in the cellar and the preservation of the fruit's natural aromas without masking them.

The tasting sessions held here focus on comparing these two wines and also include a vertical tasting spanning multiple vintages of Grand Cru Classé.