Château Rouget is a wine estate located in the Pomerol region, in Bordeaux's so-called "right bank" area, northeast of the Dordogne river around the town of Libourne, some 40km (25 miles) east of Bordeaux city. The Rouget estate comprises 17 hectares (42 acres) of gently sloping hillside planted to 85 percent Merlot, with the remaining hectares devoted to Cabernet Franc. These grape varieties form the basis of Rouget's grand vin and its second wine label, Le Carillon de Rouget. The estate is considered as being one of the first official Pomerol crus. Indeed, it originally appeared in the archives and land register of 1700, corresponding to the construction of the estate's grand château by the Bayonne family. At the close of the 19th Century, Château Rouget was rated among the top five Pomerol estates in a classification of the appellation's wines. In 1992, the estate was purchased by the Labruyère family, who today manage the estate in consultation with renowned winemaker, Michel Rolland. The majority of Château Rouget's vineyards surround the building, with additional plots located near other notable estates of Pomerol: Château Petit Village, Château Le Pin and Château Trotanoy. The vineyards are planted on clay, sand and gravel soil, all of which overlay subsoils of iron-rich sandstone. The grand vin is created from vines aged approximately 40 years old, while younger vines with an average age of 20 years old supply the grapes for its Le Carillon de Rouget second wine. Château Rouget harvests its grapes by hand, plot by plot. The grapes are fermented in truncated oak vats with indigenous yeasts. The Château Rouget is vinified batch by batch in either oak or stainless steel vats, before seeing 18 months in oak barrels (of which around one third are new). The grapes for the estate's second wine are sourced from a variety of parcels and separately vinified in stainless steel tanks before aging in second fill oak barrels for 18 months. Both the estate's grand vin and second label are traditionally fined using fresh egg white.