1996 Château Rol Valentin

Château Rol Valentine was for much of its history known as Château Clos Valentine. But in 1994 the property was purchased by professional soccer player Eric Prissette, and he renamed the estate. In 2009 the estate was sold to Jean-Luc Roche and her husband Nicolas Robin. The 20-acre estate is in two locations, partly in La Gomerie and partly in St. Etienne de Lisse. About 2,000 cases of the flagship wine are made annually. The estate’s second wine is Les Valentines. The consulting oenologist is Stephane Derenoncourt, whose advice and winemaking skills have in the last couple of decades also helped turn Clos Fourtet, Pavie-Macquin and Château La Mondotte into highly collectible wines.

Saint-Émilion is on the east side of the Dordogne River. At 13,400 acres it is one of Bordeaux’s largest appellations, and perhaps its most picturesque. It is also home to what has been called “the garagiste” movement of upstart, tradition-defying winemakers who produce artisanal wines in styles that are unconventional for the appellation. The village of Saint-Émilion dates from the middle ages and it sits on low hills, surrounded by ancient walls. Like its neighbor Pomerol, Saint-Émilion was not included in the famous Bordeaux classification system of 1855. But a century later a ranking system was put in place, and unlike the classification system for the Medoc, the Saint-Émilion system is reviewed every ten years, meaning that estates can be upgraded or downgraded. There are three rankings: Grand Cru Classé, Premier Grand Cru Classé B and Premier Grand Cru Classé A, with the final ranking being the best. Such legendary Saint-Émilion estates as Châteaux Ausone and Cheval-Blanc are Premier Grand Cru Classé A, along with Châteaux Pavie and Angélus, both added to the classification in 2012. Wines in this appellation are primarily Merlot, mixed with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.