Château Rochebelle is a Saint-Emilion estate promoted to Grand Cru Classé status in the 2012 iteration of the classification. The three-hectare (seven acre) estate lies on the edge of the Saint-Emilion plateau, just three kilometers (1.8 miles) southeast of Saint-Emilion town.
Although a relatively new entrant to the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classés, Rochbelle has some prestigious neighbors including Le Tertre Rôteboeuf a stone's throw to the south, and La Mondotte and Château Troplong-Mondot firmly on the Saint-Emilion limestone plateau to the northwest. Châteaux Pavie and Pavie-Decesse lie a little further due west, also on the edge of the plateau, overlooking the lower land running down to the Dordogne river to the south.
Château Rochebelle's vineyards are predominantly planted to Merlot (85 percent) with the remainder given over to Cabernet Franc – something of a classic Saint-Emilion combination. The vines are, on averge, around 45 years old and sit on brown clay-limestone/chalk soils.
The vineyards are hand-harvested and fruit is fermented in concrete cuves before being transferred to barrel – a high proportion of which is new oak – and aged in underground cellars dug into the limestone. Annual production sits at around 17,000 bottles.
