Château Lafleur - 'Les Perrières de Lafleur' 2019

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.

59% Cabernet Franc (Bouchet), 41% Merlot - this cuvée was born in 2018 vintage after years of experimentation by Baptiste and Julie Guinaudeau to best showcase the unique Bouchet de Lafleur planted on the fossil-spotted limestone soils of Fronsac. The vineyards are perched 83 meters above the Dordogne river (nearly twice the elevation of Lafleur). Fermentation in stainless steel/concrete tanks with soft maceration and moderate tannin extraction. 15 months barrel aging(1/3 new oak and 2/3 one-year-old barrels).

“The second vintage of Les Perrières (59% Cabernet Franc, 41% Merlot), made by the same team and vine genetics as Lafleur but on limestone terroir in Fronsac. Bramble black fruits on the nose with tiny hints of dark chocolate, slate and scented violets. Super-juicy on the palate, playful and light in terms of clarity with veins of chalk and minerality. Smooth, pure and well framed with abundant freshness that stays long on the finish. Finely detailed with salinity. Delicious.” - 95 Points, Decanter

“An incredible Fronsac that readers should seek out is the 2019 Les Perrieres De Lafleur, which comes from a massale selection of vines from Château Lafleur planted on the clay and limestone soils of the Fronsac plateau. A mix of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, it has a darker ruby hue to go with a gorgeous perfume of black raspberries, darker cherries, sappy herbs, flowers, and forest floor. Gorgeous on the palate as well, this medium to full-bodied beauty has ultra-fine tannins, beautiful overall balance, and a great finish. It's a joy to drink today, yet it has another 15+ years of longevity ahead of it.” - 95 Points, Jeb Dunnuck

“A striking wine from the limestone plateau of Fronsac planted with massale selections from Lafleur, the 2019 Les Perrières de Lafleur is indecently good. Bursting with aromas of raspberries, violets, warm spices and rose petals, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a racy, tensile profile and a long, intensely mineral finish. Les Perrières de Lafleur is compelling testimony to the primacy of vine genetics over age, as the Cabernet Franc here is a mere 3-4 years old and the Merlot 7-8, yet the resulting wine already boasts incredible intensity and character. It certainly puts the "Supérieur" in the appellation "Bordeaux Supérieur.” - 95 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Producer: Château Lafleur

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux

Varietal:  Cabernet Franc, Merlot

Appellation: Bordeaux Supérieur

Vintage: 2019

Size: 750ml