Château Grand Village - (Lafleur) Rouge 2021

Since its foundation by Henri Greloud in 1872, Chateau Lafleur has been owned, managed, and most importantly, farmed by five successive generations of the same family. The Guinaudeau family are the real deal when it comes to vine growing. Fashions do not hold any weight here. It is all about the vines, the soils and the individuals who craft these wines of purity and balance.

The story of Château LaFleur starts with Henri Greloud, who owned Château Le Gay and was the first to produce single-vineyard wines in Pomerol. In 1872, he purchased one plot of 4.5 hectares of vines and began a complete restructuring of the vineyard, built the house and the cellars and called this place: Lafleur. In 1930s, Andre Robin worked to develop Bouchet (Cabernet Franc) massale in the vineyards. Their daughters, Therese and Marie Robin took over after Andre’s death in 1946 and kept things relatively the same for almost 40 years until 1984 when Jacques and Sylvie Guinaudeau, the great, great-grandchildren of Henri Greloud made arrangements to lease Chateau Lafleur from Marie Robin, the surviving sister. They got to work in 1985, replanting a quarter of the vines, and, when Marie Robin passed away, the Guinaudeaus sold their rights to Le Gay for afford the full ownership of Lafleur in 2002. Later that year, Baptiste Guinaudeau (son to Jacques and Sylvie) and his wife Julie joined them at Chateau Lafleur.

Château Lafleur is a 4.5 hectare property located on the northern crest of the plateau of Pomerol directly adjacent to Château Petrus and contiguous to Petrus, Le Gay, Vieux Château Certan and Hosanna.

Toward the north and west, there is thinner gravel hillock over brown clay. Along to the south, soils change to sandier soil over a gravelly-brown clay sub-soil. And eastward, the soil is predominantly gravel.

For nearly 40 years, sisters Marie and Thérese Robin Greloud remained decidedly old-school - everything was done by hand with small tools, and plowing was done with an ox until 1979. Chemicals or pesticides have never used on this land.

There are 24 separate parcels, with vines of Cabernet Franc (Bouchet) and Merlot interplanted in each block. The average age of the vines is 40 years old. They have the highest elevation for Cabernet Franc in the appellation, and highest percentage used in their wines. To repopulate the vineyard, all the old vines were grafted with massale selection by hand. They never purchased Merlot clones, and by doing so, Lafleur has some of the oldest vines in Bordeaux.

Today, the soils at Lafleur are never turned, allowing the stones to remain in place, radiating heat to the vines. Deep soil cutting close to the vines does happen to encourage the roots to seek lower nutrients.

48% Merlot, 52% Cabernet Franc. Sourced from the Guinaudeau family's sister property, a 50 hectare estate is situated in Mouillac, within Fronsac, with 14 hectartes of vineyards repopulated from Lafleur vine cuttings. Vinification: Fermentation in stainless steel/concrete tanks with soft maceration and moderate tannin extraction. 12 months barrel aging (30% new oak, 40% one year old barrels, 30% two years old barrels).

"The 2021 Grand Village, a blend of 48% Merlot (picked on the 17th and 24th of September) and 52% Cabernet Franc (picked on the 2nd of October), is undoubtedly one of the best values in Bordeaux, revealing a fresh, gourmand bouquet with aromas of raspberry, cassis, spring flowers and loamy soils. Medium-bodied, tense and elegant with a supple, velvety texture, it’s perfectly balanced with powdery tannins and a long, mouthwatering, sleek finish that enhances its drinkability. While it offers plenty of immediate charm, it also has the structure to age over the next decade." - 93 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2021 Grand Village (Lafleur) is stunningly good in the vintage. Gorgeous ripe black cherry and red plums give way to a chalky minerality as well as complex floral and violet notes that are something to behold. It's deep, medium-bodied, has terrific mid-palate depth, lots of salinity, and ripe tannins. It plays in the elegant, streamlined, focused style of the vintage but has impressive depth and concentration." - 92 points, Jeb Dunnuck

Producer: Château Grand Village

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux

Varietal: Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Appellation: Bordeaux Supérieur

Vintage: 2021

Size: 750ml