Château Lafleur

If Le Pin caresses your heart and Ausone is a wine that gently stimulates every nerve in the body, Château Lafleur is THE wine that engages the mind. The term "intellectual" is often attached to this unique Pomerol property, not because it is overly highbrow, but because it is a wine that is so thought provoking. Deep, meaningful, and cerebral, softly spoken yet intense, it stands alone amongst the great names of the right bank. Usually produced from about 55% Cabernet Franc and the balance Merlot, and only ever given a maximum one third new oak, the miniscule 1000 cases production is the stuff of collectors and connoisseurs’ dreams. It is a wine of enormous depth and intensity fashioned from some of Pomerol's most exceptional and unique terroir.

The chateau has been in the same family since its inception in 1872 – Baptiste is the great great great grandson of Henri Greloud, its founder. Jacques and Sylvie and their three children have been the exclusive owners since 2001, although they had previously been leasing the vineyards following the death of Therese Robin in 1984. Since their arrival there has been an even more quality focussed approach to all aspects of viticulture and vinification. Few winemakers can speak about their terroir with such knowledge. After the first full geological survey in 1999, Jacques decided to change Pensees de Lafleur from a traditional ‘second wine’ into a separate Cru. It was this understanding of their vineyard and particularly the geological fault that runs diagonally through vineyard that is missing much of the gravel content that makes Lafleur so unique. These clay dominated soils are better suited to Merlot and fashion a more ‘traditional’ style of Pomerol.

There have been many exceptional wines made throughout the last century, however, it is really only recently that the Guinaudeaus have received the plaudits they so richly deserve. The team is aided by Jean Claude Berrouet, the former winemaker at Petrus. They only utilise natural fertilizers, yields are low and they practice a less-is-more attitude when it comes to vinifications; they let their terroir speak through, and the results are simply astonishing.