A great wine is due to the harmonious combination of terroir and human expertise. Nowhere is this more true than at Rol Valentin, a vineyard that is well worth the challenge, the reflection, and the patience necessary to make a great wine. Grown on two different types of soil, this wine calls for precise, knowledgeable vineyard management all year round. We carefully monitored the vines and identified eleven separate plots. Each has its own special characteristics, requiring specific attention in order to produce the purest, ripest fruit possible. Great care is taken to harvest and ferment grapes from every plot separately. The cellar has eleven wooden vats to house the new vintage. The winemaking philosophy at Rol Valentin is to be in close touch with the wine, and to encourage it to ferment as gently and as naturally as possible. The combination of sand and clay-limestone soil creates an excellent balance between power and elegance. Stéphane Derenoncourt, consulting oenologist at Château Rol Valentin VINTAGE 1996 TASTING NOTES by Robert Parker The 1996 vintage from this château, located near Cheval Blanc and La Dominique, is exemplary. This wine is a deep ruby-crimson colour. It has a soft bouquet of blackcurrant with hints of liquorice, toasty new oak, and smoked herbs. Average body, ripe, and rich on the palate. Very attractive. Impeccable winemaking and small yields are obvious. Bottled without fining or filtration. Best enjoyed between 2001 and 2014. 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000