ROC Cuvée 2022

We bet you’ve never tasted a Bordeaux wine quite like this one before. ROC Cuvée hails from the sustainability-focused revolutionaries at Gentle Riot. They’re out to challenge the status quo in Bordeaux, eschewing tradition in favor of natural winemaking practices and refreshingly modern wine styles.

Talented winemaker Jean-Marc Sauboua leads the charge. He trained at prestigious First Growth Château Haut-Brion, so he’s well versed in Bordeaux’s rules…and all the more qualified to break them! For this exciting Merlot, Jean-Marc turned to his friend and local grower, Ludovic Roussillon (below, right, with Jean-Marc).

Ludovic brought him to a prized single vineyard just across from Saint-Émilion. This special site is planted on the same limestone ridge credited with giving Saint-Émilion’s finest wines their elegance and finesse. Working with Ludovic’s team, Jean-Marc hand-picked the very best, sustainably farmed Merlot grapes, then brought them back to the winery.

Jean-Marc cold soaked the grape skins in their juice for one week to extract as much color and flavor as possible before fermentation. He also used a rare yeast that protects the juice’s natural flavors, resulting in a purer tasting wine. Then, after carefully crafting the wine, he bottled it in a curvy, Burgundy-shaped bottle to broadcast that this Merlot is, most definitely, not your typical Bordeaux. It shows in the glass, too. As critic Joanna Simon put it, “There’s not an elbow or an angle in sight, just glossy curves and mouthfilling, velvety fruit.”

ROC Cuvée is a single-vineyard, handcrafted Bordeaux made in a daringly delicious modern style—and strictly limited quantities. Act quickly for your share.