Château de Fayolle

Château de Fayolle is a historic Perigord wine estate located on an exceptional terroir between Saint-Emilion and Bergerac. It has been owned by Franck and Riki Campbell since 2019 and they produce authentic wines of great finesse, the perfect expression of this great terroir.

The Terroir

The vineyard is located on a plateau made up of clay-limestone soils above the Saussignac hillside. Flint is also found in certain areas. The parcels benefit from a natural drainage due to their gentle slope. The entire property covers 50 hectares and the 14 hectare vineyard is surrounded by meadows, lakes and woods, all of which promote great biodiversity and also benefit the quality of the grapes.

The red grape varieties used to produce the reds and rosés of the estate represent 9.5 hectares. We find the typical Bergerac grape varieties with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. The remaining 4.5 hectares are planted with white grape varieties (Semillon and Sauvignon) which are used to make sweet white wines, dry white wines, sweet wines and the sparkling white wine of the Château.

The Château de Fayolle is run according to the principles of sustainable agriculture to preserve this exceptional environment and chemical phytosanitary treatments are strongly limited. Natural and organic solutions are always preferred. The couple has committed the property to a process of conversion to organic farming since the acquisition of the estate and should obtain certification in 2022. They also wish to develop wine tourism projects.

The know-how

The de Dietrich family, long-time owners of the Château, had undertaken renovation work, now continued by its new owners.

The estate has complete facilities with two wine-making cellars, one with state-of-the-art thermo-regulated stainless steel vats and the other with oak barrels for the vinification of the estate's sweet wines and top-of-the-range vintages. The grapes are harvested mechanically, plot by plot, according to the maturity of each one and each variety is picked and vinified independently. The Semillon is harvested separately, only by hand, in order to identify the grapes affected by botrytis and to pick them at the most opportune moment of their maturity. This sometimes requires four or five passes through the rows to get the best out of each vine.

The wines

The Château de Fayolle AOP Bergerac Blanc sec vintage is made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from three parcels. The 2018 vintage is an aromatic and complex wine, with aromas of quince, lemon, orange and floral nuances of lime. The flint present in its terroir of origin gives mineral notes. The finish is long and harmonious. It has received several prestigious awards such as a gold medal in Lyon, and two stars in the Hachette wine guide.

Château de Fayolles in Appellation Saussignac vintage 2013<:strong> is a sweet wine made from botrytized Semillon from a plot planted in 2003 in Mornac. It has a beautiful clear color in golden tones with sustained nuances. The nose is elegant and intense with an aromatic bouquet mixing candied citrus fruits and touches of vanilla. The mouth offers a nice acidity very balanced with notes of honey and a persistent finish.

This is also a distinguished vintage in many competitions. It is rated 91/100 by the Gilbert & Gaillard guide, it won in 2017 two gold medals, at the Lyon competition and the Féminalise competition, and in 2015 the bronze medal in Bordeaux and the grand prize of excellence Vinalies.