Château Grand Village Bordeaux Blanc
Société Civile du Château Lafleur
APPELLATION
Bordeaux
GRAPE VARIETIES
74% Sauvignon Blanc, 26% Sémillon
WINEMAKERS
Jacques Guinaudeau
Sylvie Guinaudeau
Baptiste Guinaudeau
Julie Guinaudeau
TECHNICAL DATA
Alcohol
13.5%
91POINTS
92POINTS
The Guinaudeau 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 the soils at Grand Village to yield great white wines, Sylvie and Jacques decided to replant a number of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon parcels in the early 1990s.
With the arrival of their child Baptiste and his wife Julie, major improvements began. Their efforts were first concentrated toward white vineyards, putting in place high end vineyard management procedures that were developed at Lafleur. They started planting new parcels with vine stock originating from the great Sauvignon Blanc of Sancerre – rich, complex and mineral.
Great progress is achieved at the cellar with the refinement of their work methods, mastering oxygen intake and barrel aging on the lees.
Soil and sub-soil: 2.3 hectares of clay-limestone soil. The vineyard is farmed under sustainable viticulture.
The climatic conditions of 2019 revolved around very clear and marked sequences or episodes. Winter and the month of February were particularly mild. The soil heated up very quickly, which resulted in an early bud-break. May, surprisingly, was cooler than the average. Flowering was homogenous. June and July were quite hot, reaching a peak with two heatwaves: first at the end of June, followed by a second wave at the end of July. Water stress accompanied the vines to the end of the season. Even if August was slightly cooler than the two preceding months, 2019 registered as the hottest summer of the last 30 years.
WINEMAKING & AGEINGSauvignon Blanc and Sémillon were harvested September 6–11. Hand harvested with double sorting at the vineyard. Low pressure pressing under inert atmosphere. Vinification in 50% stainless steel tanks, 20% new barrels, 30% one year old barrels. Eight months barrel aging, including 5 months of gentle lees-stirring.Bottled at the beginning of summer the year after harvest.
The 2019 whites were racked and blended in mid-May, to prepare for bottling in June. Tastings of the whites just after racking, a delicate moment, showed great promise.
TASTING NOTESThe 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.
RESOURCES
Société Civile du Château Lafleur Portfolio
