Château Dauphiné-Rondillon

The history of Château Dauphiné-Rondillon is above all the history of a family. For more than 200 years, this estate has been in the hands of men and women driven by the same passion: wine. Successive generations have preserved and enlarged the estate.
As early as 1927, Château Dauphiné-Rondillon was marketed in bottle, and appreciated on a par with the most prestigious Sauternes. The ideal exposure of the vines, on the south- and south-west-facing hillsides of the commune of Loupiac, combined with unique climatic conditions, allows excellent ripening of the white grape varieties and good development of Botrytis cinerea.
The picking of botrytised bunches in successive passes, and vinification and ageing that follow a long tradition, help make Château Dauphiné-Rondillon a Loupiac of distinction. Thus, depending on their aromatic richness, the musts are put into French oak barrels where alcoholic fermentation takes place, followed by post-fermentation ageing on the lees lasting 12 to 18 months. The wine then ages in barrels, which it leaves to be bottled.
On tasting, Loupiacs of about ten years old reveal aromas of dried apricots, peaches and candied oranges, while the youngest stand out for the freshness and vivacity of their floral notes. The palate is ample, rich and generous, with good aromatic power and remarkable balance.
M. Darriet also owns Château de Rouquette in Loupiac, an old 18th-century house that commands a remarkably exposed estate in a single block; Château Moutin in the Graves appellation; Château Les Tourelles; Clos du Château de Cadillac in the Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux appellation; and Château La Maroutine and Château Les Gravières in the Bordeaux appellation. These independent entities and Château Dauphiné-Rondillon make the Darriet vineyards a fine ensemble of about sixty hectares.
Several first prizes and gold medals at numerous competitions, as well as the highest awards at various exhibitions around the world, regularly reward the wines of Les Vignobles Darriet: gold medal in 2010 for Château Rouquette 2008 in the A.O.C. Loupiac and silver medal in 2011 for the 2010 at the Concours Général de Paris.
The Darriet family is also a sum of skills. Jean-Christophe, elected in 2009 ” best winegrower of Loupiac ” by a major weekly, watches over the vineyard and the cellar with the rigour of a scientist (he holds a DEA). Philippe, professor and research director at the Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin (ISVV), contributes his oenological expertise. Finally Sandrine looks after the commercial side and travels the world to promote the wine.
No one was therefore surprised to find, in 2012 in ” les Gouttes de Dieu “, alongside the greatest wines of Bordeaux, Château Dauphiné-Rondillon!