“Our family has been growing vines at Grand Village since the 17th century, and there is no doubt regarding the very early appearance of white varieties in the estate’s vineyard. With the viticulture sector crisis in the 1960s, those white varieties slowly gave up their place to be replaced with red grapes. Convinced by the great potential of some of our soils at Grand Village to yield great white wines, Sylvie and I decided to replant a number of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon parcels in the early 1990s. The first vintages were very encouraging, with white wines full of freshness, to be enjoyed in their youth. A few experiments with barrel aging demonstrated the capacity for making whites of complexity at Grand Village. At the beginning of the new millennium, with the arrival of Baptiste and Julie, we began a process of major improvements. Our efforts were first concentrated towards our white vineyards, putting in place high end vineyard management procedures that we have developed at Lafleur. We started planting new parcels with vine stock originating from the great Sauvignon Blanc of Sancerre – rich, complex and mineral. Important evolutions to our white winemaking technics followed. Great progress is achieved at the cellar with the refinement of our work methods, mastering oxygen intake and barrel aging on the lees. The white of Grand Village evolved in the passage of just a few years into a different wine, showing a complex floral nose and great harmony between tension and texture on the palate. The finish is very long and elegant. The wine’s capacity to age in bottle evolved considerably. The new label of the white of Grand Village reminds us all that this wine is crafted by the team of Société Civile du Château Lafleur, harnessing all of its knowledge and means. Château Grand Village Blanc 2020 : 85% Sauvignon Blanc harvested between the 25th and 28th August and 15% Sémillon harvested on the 25th and 26th August.” Jacques Guinaudeau, May 2021