The estate is located on the eastern edge of the Bordeaux wine growing area, 38 kms from Saint-Emilion, near the village of Sainte-Foy-La-Grande. It lies on the borders of the Dordogne and the Lot et Garonne departments.
The soils are clay-limestone with a very high clay content, which is unusual for this area and which goes some way to accounting for the strength of the wines produced at Parenchère.
The total size of the estate is 188 hectares of land (465 acres).
The vineyard is concentrated on 69 hectares (170 acres) of which 6 hectares of white, planted on the estate’s best exposed plots and solely on hillsides so that rainwater drains away naturally. This way, fruit quality is not harmed by stagnating water, which would cause the grapes to swell.
Also, thanks to this ideal exposure, the grapes get a lot of sun from the early morning until late in the evening, which help them to reach their best maturity level even in very difficult years. The grapes will therefore be able to plainly express all their aromas and richness.
The average age of the vineyard is 25 years, with the oldest vines reaching more than 50 years old.
The choice of grape variety is not dictated by fashion, but rather by what gives the best results on each terroir.
Of course, a terroir alone produces nothing. It requires the right combination and type of grape varieties that can bring out the whole wealth of potential within it.
The grape varieties of the 63 hectares of red depend on the different plots of the vineyard and how they are exposed. They are as follows :
Similarly the 6 hectares of white to be found at Parenchère today are made up of the three major white varieties :
The blend of these different varieties, by virtue of their matching aromas and structures, produces the characteristic complexity and balance of Parenchère wines.