our
KNOWLEDGE
Our HISTORY
Vignobles Marcel Petit is an SCEA (civil agricultural company) created in 1986 by Marcel Petit with the purchase of Château Pillebois in the Castillon Côtes-de-Bordeaux appellation.
The domaine expanded in 1988 with the acquisition of Château Franc Lartigue and Château Grande Rouchonne, both situated in the Saint-Emilion appellation. Vignobles Marcel Petit also became a member of the “Vignerons Indépendants de France” in the same year.
Marcel Petit retired in 1997, entrusting his vineyards to his daughter, Elisabeth, and son-in-law, Jean-Pierre Toxé. The domaine currently covers 22 hectares of vineyards in Saint-Emilion and Castillon. Then in 2019, the AOC Castillon plots and the Pillebois castle were sold. The vineyard now covers 9.5 hectares of vines in AOC Saint-Emilion.
Our KNOWLEDGE
The domaine has continued to develop and improve over the last 30 years. With two generations of winemaking expertise, and thanks to our collaboration with viticultural specialists, we are able to get the very best from our terroir.
We constantly strive to improve our techniques and the quality of our wines whilst continuing to respect our ancestors’ winemaking traditions.
Our PHILOSOPHY
We have been working in an environmentally-friendly manner for several years now.
In 2011, we joined the SME association (Environmental Management System), which is ISO 14001 certified and specializes in environmental and biodiversity management. It demands the reduction in phytosanitary products and herbicides, the use of waste recovery systems, and zero impact from cellar effluents and phytosanitary product residues.
In 2013, we obtained the HVE 3 certification (High Environmental Value level 3). This is the highest of three levels and attests to our commitment to a balanced, environmentally-friendly approach and the biodiversity of our domaine.
WINEMAKING
Vinification is managed by Jean-Pierre Toxé in close collaboration with the oenological laboratory, Oenoteam, and acclaimed oenologist, Stéphane Toutoundji.
All of our Saint-Emilion grands crus and Castillon Côtes-de-Bordeaux grapes are sorted by hand to ensure that we vinify only the highest quality fruit.
Our well-equipped cellars allow us to monitor the vinification and ageing processes with precision.
We replace 30% of our barrels every year in order to obtain subtle and delicate aromas in each of our vintages.
We then bottle our wines, here at the domaine.
CHÂTEAU FRANC LARTIGUE
CHÂTEAU GRANDE ROUCHONNE
Situated south of Saint-Emilion, Château Grande Rouchonne was built in 1880 and has been making wine ever since. The property houses the vinification and ageing cellars for our two Saint-Emilion Grand Cru wines: Château Franc Lartigue and Château Grande Rouchonne. The cellars were renovated and enlarged in 2000 and boast modern technical facilities.
All our wines are subject to computerized monitoring and tracking from the harvest through to sale. Our Grande Rouchonne is sold exclusively to a French distribution Group.
This estate is situated in the Saint-Emilion commune and produces our red Château Franc Lartigue, as well as our Embellie wine, both from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru appellation.
The soil is composed of sand and gravel, ploughing is carried out on every other vine row and the remaining rows are grassed. All fertilizers are made from natural organic matter with low nitrogen levels and high humus content.
The vineyards are very old with most vines being at least 60 years old. The majority of work in the vineyards is carried out exclusively by hand including disbudding, leaf stripping and green harvesting. Average production levels are around 42hl to 45hl per hectare.
The wines are aged in oak barrels for a period of 12 months before being blended and clarified in vats.
CHÂTEAU FRANC LARTIGUE
Situated south of Saint-Emilion, Château Grande Rouchonne was built in 1880 and has been making wine ever since. The property houses the vinification and ageing cellars for our two Saint-Emilion Grand Cru wines: Château Franc Lartigue and Château Grande Rouchonne. The cellars were renovated and enlarged in 2000 and boast modern technical facilities.
All our wines are subject to computerized monitoring and tracking from the harvest through to sale. Our Grande Rouchonne is sold exclusively to a French distribution Group.
CHÂTEAU GRANDE ROUCHONNE
This estate is situated in the Saint-Emilion commune and produces our red Château Franc Lartigue, as well as our Embellie wine, both from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru appellation.
The soil is composed of sand and gravel, ploughing is carried out on every other vine row and the remaining rows are grassed. All fertilizers are made from natural organic matter with low nitrogen levels and high humus content.
The vineyards are very old with most vines being at least 60 years old. The majority of work in the vineyards is carried out exclusively by hand including disbudding, leaf stripping and green harvesting. Average production levels are around 42hl to 45hl per hectare.
The wines are aged in oak barrels for a period of 12 months before being blended and clarified in vats.