The continuous property of 12 hectares is situated on a clay-limestone terroir on the right bank of the Dordogne. It occupies a privileged position on the plateau of Sainte-Colombe, a little town East of Saint-Émilion, full of history with the remains of a Roman villa and its mosaics, as well as a historical Romanesque church from the 12th century.

This very ancient estate was originally owned by the Roque family since the Louis XIII period. The estate was then passed down through many generations within the Roque family that had a long ancestry of wine makers and barrel carpenters. Roque family’s ownership came to an end when the last descendant, Philippe le Roy, passed on the baton and sold off the estate to a trio of friends in 2016 : Peter Kwok (Hong Kong), Philippe Lambrecht (owner of the great Belgian wine import company, Wijnhandel de Brabandere, and owner of Bodega Mas Alta in Priorat) and Jean-Christophe Meyrou (Bordeaux, General Manager of Vignobles K).

From the same limestone plateau as Saint-Emilion, east of Bordeaux, the wines of Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux enjoy a privileged location with a southern exposure and an altitude difference of more than 100 meters. We find the same benefits of asteriated limestone that made the reputation of the terroir of Saint-Emilion. A precious limestone because being very porous, it has the ability to absorb excess water and return this water to the vineyards under dry conditions.

The peculiarity of the wines of Sainte-Colombe: their minerality and finesse. In this area, soils are generally not very thick and the limestone remains fairly close to the surface. The vines can therefore enjoy the benefits of the porous limestone of the region. 

Les Argileuses are produced from a green and blue clay terroir from parcel no 1 et 3 and Les Rocheuses from 100% limestone terroir from parcel no 5 and 6.

Harvest dates vary by vintage and we adapt our harvest plan down to the plot or even to the parcel based on the optimum ripeness of the berries. Our team determine when to harvest through a combination of several physiological and subjective criteria, and even tasting berries by mouth is an important step in the decision-making process. Our team select which parcel block to pick by-hand only the night before.                                                                                                                                                          

After a meticulous selection process on the vines and in the winery, the sorted grapes are filled into conical stainless steel tanks (small volume tanks in order to correspond best to parcel management)

Fermentations are carried out without addition of sulfur, a minimum dose will be added at the end of ageing. 

Château Le Rey Les Argileuses is aged for 6 months in stainless steel tanks without any use of oak.

Château Le Rey Les Rocheuses is aged in barrel for 12 months; the proportion of new oak varies between 30 to 40%, with the balance using 1 and 2 years old barrels.

After ageing the wines are bottled at the Château.