Château Roland la Garde

There are places where history settles in like a guest of honour. Here, at Château Roland La Garde, it began in 778. Legend has it that Roland, nephew of Charlemagne, hurled his javelin into the waters of the Gironde. Having thus proved his valour and strength, he set out on an expedition, forming the rearguard of Charlemagne’s armies.
Killed at Roncevaux after many exploits, he was buried at Blaye, beside his companion Oliver and Archbishop Turpin. His famous sword Durandal and his ivory oliphant were laid beside him.
With such an exceptional ancestor, Bruno Martin could only perpetuate the exceptional.
Resolutely focused on quality, this very old vineyard today produces wines recognised throughout the world.
Located on one of the best exposures of the appellation, the vines of Château Roland La Garde enjoy the microclimate essential to the production of great wines.
The shallow clay-limestone soils and limestone subsoils bring the inimitable typicity of these wines.
The sum of these different parameters allows the grape varieties to express themselves fully through a rich aromatic palette ranging from red fruit to spicy notes, with tight tannins due to very great ripeness.
A perfect knowledge of the vineyard, combined with the specificities of the terroir, gives Bruno Martin, born into a winegrowing family for four generations, the means to match his ambition.
Ageing in new barrels in a superb cellar, together with particularly attentive care, helps make Château Roland La Garde a very fine château of the Bordeaux region.
Bruno Martin, with great experience, knows how to get the best out of his land and his vines. And he proves it by presenting every year three different wines that fully express the subtlety, generosity and breeding of the valiant knight whose name he bears.
In 2002, the purchase of Château Sainte-Luce Bellevue in Blaye added two new wines (red and white) to the range.
The work carried out on two different terroirs allows a better understanding and showcasing of their originality.
Having never used chemical weedkillers, Château Roland La Garde has been biodynamic since 2008 in order to go further in the purity and minerality of the wines.
Specific biodynamic preparations and the use of various plants act on the vine and therefore the grape. For the wine, the strict minimum of products is used in order to respect its nature.