Château La Rose Poncet

The “Ange” of the wines in the Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux area.

A small property, that is situated in the region of Libourne and more specifically in Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux. It was established there since more than 400 years ago as part of the major properties of the time, having a multi-function activity, that said, a combination agriculture, livestock and viticulture.

The property entered in the Rousseau family about 200 years ago. The grandfather was the first one to produce and bring the crops to the local cooperative; we talk about the father of the current owner, Elizabeth Rodriguez Rousseau, however, due to the work in other business the property had to be leased and closed.

The arrival of Elizabeth and Eric Rodriguez in 1997-1998

The resuming of the operations has not always been so obvious to her. After leaving school she began studying psychology looking forward to work on her own profession.

However, with the death of his father, this dynamic young woman felt the need to return to the family roots. Supported by her husband Eric Rodriguez (who works in the Medoc) they both decided to take over the vineyard abandoning the lease.
With no other training in the world of wine than the time spent alongside his father as a child, she followed a Bac Pro Viti eno training by correspondence (in the Blanquefort High School), to acquire the knowledge that she was lacking.

Today, supported by her husband, she manages the Chateau La Rose Poncet vineyards, performing her work with great passion either in the vineyard or in the cellar.

Since their arrival in the property, they have made numerous improvements such as the establishment of a winery for his grandfather that no longer exists, the renewal of equipment, the construction in 2008 of a cellar, or other projects like the the uprooting / replanting of the plots.

Where does the name “Château La Rose Poncet” comes from?

Initially, Elizabeth had thought of using “Peyoriolle” the name of the hill where the property is located. The only problem is that it is not an easily pronounceable word either in French or in other languages like English, Spanish or German. He had to find something else.
“Poncet” was originally the name of one of the plots of the Chateau. As for “La Rose” (“the rose” in English), it was simply a desire of the couple Rousseau Rodriguez.

Where does the name of the wine “MON ANGE (my angel in English) Château La Rose Poncet ” comes from?

This name has several origins. The first is that “ANGE” is an anagram (with an “i” within) the names of the children of Elizabeth.
The second explanation is more personal. In 2008 Elizabeth suffered a serious accident, accident in which she could have lost her life “if an angel had not intervened in that moment” on it. Cuvée and its name is a nod to this angel!

In three words, how would you describe your job?

“WORK” because making wine is an activity combining two crafts, the winemaker (viticulture) and the winemaker ( the winemaking itself). These two businesses, each requiring a presence throughout the year as well as a lot of work every day … it is impossible to postpone any of the tasks.

“FUN“. it is essential to do this job with pleasure! It is often a passion, a passion to create a product that you love and shows who you are.

“TOUGHNESS“. As I said earlier it is a difficult job, in which the winemaker operator sustains the vagaries of climate. Without tenacity, without perseverance, they might be tempted to change their profession for a more stable job, that is both less time and less physical consuming.

What are you looking for when you create Chateau La Rose Poncet wines?

“The greedy side.” That is to say, work on “fun wines” and to give pleasure to the consumers. “Having fun is one thing essential to make a wine that ultimately pleases me and appeals to consumers.”

Any projects for La Rose Poncet ? 

Elizabeth would like that, in the near future, all of the production from the wines of the property will be labeled with the name of the castle.

Side anecdote

Looking good labels of various vintages, you will notice that the “logo” consists of two “horses”. The reason is that this animal is a family passion that dates back to the grandfather of Elizabeth. He was a chevalier in the army. For the record this is also thanks to a horse helped him to escape from a serious accident.

Thanks to Elisabeth Rousseau Rodriguez for her hospitality.

Jonathan Choukroun Chicheportiche

Château La Rose Poncet
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G.F.A. DE PEY ORIOL
33350 GARDEGAN
05.57.40.25.99