chateau lafleur and chateau grand village

Château Lafleur is a mythical wine, a little jewel which lies between Pétrus and La Fleur Pétrus, at the heart of the greatest wines of Pomerol. Unlike any other major Bordeaux property, Lafleur is almost like a Burgundian domaine. The scale is very much smaller than is generally the case in Bordeaux - there are only 4.5 hectares of vines here, in one single parcel, producing about 1,000 cases of Lafleur and 400 cases of Pensées each year. This allows Jacques and Sylvie Guinaudeau to adopt an absolutely hands-on approach, with spectacular results. Château Lafleur is generally recognised as the only wine which is comparable in quality to Pétrus.

I have been fortunate enough to drink many of the great vintages from this extraordinary Château. The 1947, 1949, 1975, 1982, 2000 and 2005 vintages are among the greatest wines I have ever consumed. Jacques and Sylvie Guinaudeau are some of the people I admire most in the wine world, as they continue to make great, hand-crafted wines without attempting to follow fashion. The wines are admirably uncompromising and perfectly reflect the extraordinary terroir of Château Lafleur.

The high proportion of Cabernet Franc in Lafleur and the second wine, Pensées de Lafleur, produces wines which are arguably even more complex than Pétrus. I mentioned earlier that only 1000 cases are made, but there are also 400 cases of Pensées de Lafleur which is an innovation created by Jacques and Sylvie to ensure that the quality of Lafleur itself remains extraordinary in every vintage.

Sylvie and Jacques are also the owners of Château Grand Village, a particular favourite of ours. We are very pleased that Jacques takes the making of Grand Village just as seriously as Château Lafleur. John Armit, Chairman

'What I appreciate particularly about the Guinaudeaus is that, most unusually for Bordeaux, they have an almost Burgundian ethos of care and personal attention in the way they run the property. The family personally works the vineyards and seems to know practically every vine.' Jancis Robinson MW

The Guinaudeau family has owned Château Grand Village since 1650, and Château Lafleur since 1872 when it was founded by Henri Greloud, great-great-grandfather of Jacques Guinaudeau. Château Lafleur continued to be improved by Henri's son Charles and then by his cousin André Robin, father to the Robin sisters, Thérèse and Marie who ran the estate until 1984. Although the quality of the cru had been recognised since the end of the 19th Century, the rather reclusive sisters never attempted to capitalise on the appellation's fame.

After Thérèse's death, Marie passed on the leasehold of the estate to her nephew Jacques Guinaudeau and his wife Sylvie to look after the farm. This was an excellent choice as Jacques and Sylvie are totally dedicated to quality. He has been making exceptional wines at this great Château ever since. They ran Château Lafleur from 1985 to 2001. Marie Robin died at the end of 2001, from which time Jacques and Sylvie Guinaudeau, with their son Baptiste, assumed complete responsibility for the estate. In order to keep the estate within the family, Sylvie and Jacques decided to repurchase all the individual parcels comprising Château Lafleur. They are now exclusive owners of the vineyards which is in itself an extraordinary achievement in the face of the desire of some of the world's richest people.

Château Lafleur covers 4.5 hectares in one holding on the plateau in Pomerol, adjacent to Pétrus, Le Gay and Vieux Château Certan. There is an unusual diversity of soil types at Lafleur, ranging from dark gravely soil through to sandy gravel over clay and sandy limestone. There are also much higher plantings, and proportions in the blend, of Cabernet Franc than other Pomerol properties. These aspects undoubtedly contribute to the originality and complexity of Lafleur's wines, and are elements which ally the style more closely with Cheval-Blanc than Pétrus, with which it is commonly compared. The density of planting is about 8000 vines per hectare, with every plant being tended quite individually. The vines average more than 30 years of age, with a few over 50 years old.

The picking is done by choosing the ripest grapes on each passage through the vines. The selection is done by a team of harvesters, and sorting tables are set up amongst the vines to allow rigorous quality control to take place. The length of the picking is adapted to each vintage and each wine. Barrelling takes place as soon as the juice is pressed (approximately 50% new wood is used dependent on the vintage). The final blending is done mid-winter. Bottling takes place after 18 months maturation in barrel.

The Grand Vin, Château Lafleur, is one of the defining wines of Pomerol. Unique in using a significant proportion of Cabernet Franc in the blend, it is distinguished by its great ageing potential, remarkable quality and its true reflection of the exceptional terroir in Pomerol.

The second wine was first created in 1987 because Jacques believed the grapes were not of high enough quality for Lafleur. Now Pensées receives the same meticulous attention as the Grand Vin and any grapes deemed not good enough are sold off in bulk.

'A harmonious intricacy of perfumes and flavours, with luscious silky texture and great length of aftertaste are hallmarks of this chateau.' Anthony Hanson MW

'one of the most distinctive, exotic, and greatest wines - not only from Pomerol, but in the world.' Robert Parker

The Guinaudeau family has owned and lived in Château Grand Village since 1650. They have made tremendous efforts to improve the quality of the wine, to be a worthy stablemate to Lafleur. The estate is situated in Mouillac on the far side of Fronsac and covers 50 hectares of vines. The soil is clay and chalk and the vines can be found on both the hillsides and plains of Bordeaux. The average age of the vines is 20 years old.

Both a Bordeaux blanc and rouge are produced each year, classified as Bordeaux Supérieur. The grapes are carefully selected according to the quality of the harvest and any rejected fruit is sold off as generic Bordeaux. The white is fresh, lively and made for drinking young. The red is also delicious in its youth but has surprising longevity given the appellation level and is normally at its peak around 3-6 years after harvest, depending on vintage.

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