Chateau Grand Village Rouge 2010
03 November 2017

The Guinaudeau name is synonymous with the great wines of Chateau Lafleur in Pomerol. Their ancestor, Henri Greloud acquired this hallowed terroir in 1872, and since the mid-nineteen eighties, Jacques, Sylvie and their family have tended these vines. The Chateau already had an illustrious reputation, but the last thirty years has seen a march of progress, ensuring Lafleur’s status as one of the leading wines of the world.

Chateau Lafleur is but a recent addition to the family’s portfolio. To put things into perspective, Grande Village has been the Guinaudeau family home since the mid-seventeenth century! This magical estate is situated in Mouillac on the edge of Fronsac, surrounded by trees and rolling hills. It is here that the family has its massale selection nursery for their ‘Bouchet’, their ancient Cabernet Franc clones from Chateau Lafleur, as well as producing some exceptional wines in their own right. Today’s ‘one fine bottle’ is none other than the magnificent 2010 Grand Village Rouge.

Recent vintages, most notably the spectacular 2016, offer a precision and elegance unlike anything we’ve seen at Grande Village before. Clearly a refined future beckons. In the case of the spectacular 2010, a dream growing season provided an embarrassment of riches. This is undoubtedly the most impressively endowed example we can recall tasting, boasting aromas of crisp blueberry fruit, cracked cocoa, ferrous rocks and hints of oyster shell. It is powerful, yet mouth-watering and civilized on the palate, with a firm yet silky tannic network supporting the fresh, crisp, mineral soaked fruit. The overall impression is a wine that is far too grown up and serious for the price tag. It is a really impressive drink right now, and should continue to evolve and develop for several more years. Calling it a mini Lafleur is possibly a stretch too far - one can’t just replicate a terroir as unique as Lafleur, however, it is certainly made with the same sympathetic hand and attention to detail that ensures this will appeal to the pickiest of connoisseurs.