Where is Château Louis located and who is the current owner?

Château Louis is a winegrowing estate established in Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, in the Gironde. Since its acquisition in 2017, the property has been owned by Hongkong Baolang. The estate manager is Jean-Paul Gassian, and the estate benefits from the oenological consulting of Stéphane Derenoncourt and Simon Blanchard, ensuring renowned expertise in crafting its wines.

What is the history behind the name and philosophy of Château Louis?

Formerly known as Château Rol de Fombrauge, the estate was renamed Château Louis in 2006 in tribute to the Parisian restaurant “L’Ami Louis”, following its acquisition by Thierry De La Brosse and his partners. The estate's philosophy is centred on soil-respectful viticulture, favouring mechanical tilling without the use of weedkillers, thus highlighting an environmental commitment.

What are the characteristics of the vineyard and grape varieties at Château Louis?

The Château Louis vineyard extends over 9.7 hectares with clay-limestone soils. The vines, with an average age of 45 years, are primarily planted with Merlot (80%) and Cabernet Franc (20%). The harvest is carried out by hand, followed by 100% manual sorting, ensuring a rigorous selection of the best grapes for the estate's wine production.

How are vinification and ageing carried out at Château Louis?

Vinification at Château Louis is carried out in temperature-controlled wooden foudres, with gentle extraction via manual punching down and the inclusion of 10% whole bunches. The vatting period lasts about 30 days. Wine ageing takes 12 months, split equally between 50% new barrels and 50% one-wine barrels, contributing to the complexity and aromatic structure of the wines.

Château Louis - Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Château Louis — photo principale — © Château Louis

Identity

Château Louis is a winegrowing estate located in Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, in the Gironde. It has been owned by Hongkong Baolang since its acquisition in 2017. The estate manager is Jean-Paul Gassian, and the property benefits from the consulting services of oenologists Stéphane Derenoncourt and Simon Blanchard.

History and philosophy

Formerly known as Château Rol de Fombrauge, the estate was renamed Château Louis in 2006, the year it was acquired by Thierry De La Brosse and his partners. This name change pays tribute to the Parisian restaurant “L’Ami Louis”. In 2017, Château Louis was acquired by Hongkong Baolang.

The estate's philosophy focuses on soil-respectful viticulture. Soil management is mechanical, with no weedkillers used.

The Hongkong Baolang group also acquired Château Jean Blanc in 2018 and Château De Brandey in 2020, thereby consolidating its portfolio of wine estates.

Appellations

Château Louis produces under the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation. The estate also produces wines under the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur appellations, notably via Château De Brandey, as well as Saint-Émilion Grand Cru for Château Jean Blanc.

Practical information

Château Louis is located at 3 Lieu-dit Rol, 33320 Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes. To contact the estate, you can call 05 57 24 77 67 or send an email to chateaulouis@orange.fr.

The tasting cellar is open daily from 8:00 to 18:00. The estate is able to accommodate groups and is accessible by coach. The reception languages spoken are English and French.

Find out more

Official estate website

Frequently asked questions

Where is Château Louis located and who is the current owner?: Château Louis is a winegrowing estate established in Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, in the Gironde. Since its acquisition in 2017, the property has been owned by Hongkong Baolang. The estate manager is Jean-Paul Gassian, and the estate benefits from the oenological consulting of Stéphane Derenoncourt and Simon Blanchard, ensuring renowned expertise in crafting its wines.
What is the history behind the name and philosophy of Château Louis?: Formerly known as Château Rol de Fombrauge, the estate was renamed Château Louis in 2006 in tribute to the Parisian restaurant “L’Ami Louis”, following its acquisition by Thierry De La Brosse and his partners. The estate's philosophy is centred on soil-respectful viticulture, favouring mechanical tilling without the use of weedkillers, thus highlighting an environmental commitment.
What are the characteristics of the vineyard and grape varieties at Château Louis?: The Château Louis vineyard extends over 9.7 hectares with clay-limestone soils. The vines, with an average age of 45 years, are primarily planted with Merlot (80%) and Cabernet Franc (20%). The harvest is carried out by hand, followed by 100% manual sorting, ensuring a rigorous selection of the best grapes for the estate's wine production.
How are vinification and ageing carried out at Château Louis?: Vinification at Château Louis is carried out in temperature-controlled wooden foudres, with gentle extraction via manual punching down and the inclusion of 10% whole bunches. The vatting period lasts about 30 days. Wine ageing takes 12 months, split equally between 50% new barrels and 50% one-wine barrels, contributing to the complexity and aromatic structure of the wines.

The vineyard (terroir)

The Château Louis vineyard covers an area of 9.7 hectares on clay-limestone soils. The average age of the vines is approximately 45 years. The grape varieties are predominantly Merlot (80%) and Cabernet Franc (20%).

Harvesting is carried out by hand, with 100% manual sorting.

Flagship cuvées

The estate's principal cuvée is Château Louis, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. The blend for this cuvée consists of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The estate also produces a second wine, La Réserve de Louis.

Other cuvées are produced under the names Château De Brandey (available in red and white) and Château Jean Blanc.

Vinification and ageing

Vinification at Château Louis is carried out in temperature-controlled wooden foudres, with gentle extraction via manual punching down (pigeage) and the inclusion of 10% whole bunches. Vatting lasts for around 30 days.

The wine is aged for 12 months, with 50% in new barrels and 50% in one-wine barrels.