Château Grand Village Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge
Société Civile du Château Lafleur
APPELLATION
Bordeaux
GRAPE VARIETIES
81% Merlot, 19% Bouchet (Cabernet Franc)
WINEMAKERS
Jacques Guinaudeau
Sylvie Guinaudeau
Baptiste Guinaudeau
Julie Guinaudeau
TECHNICAL DATA
Alcohol
13%
91POINTS
90POINTS
Jacques Verdery, a remote ancestor of the Guinaudeau family, founded Château Grand Village in 1650. This vineyard is in fact the birthplace of the family of vignerons. The estate is situated in Mouillac, a part of the canton of Fronsac, and covers 50 hectares of land. This surface is divided between 20 hectares of vineyard positioned on the plateau and gentle slopes of Grand Village, and 30 hectares of woods and meadows.
Jacques Guinaudeau and his wife Sylvie took charge of Château Grand Village in 1980. For the last twenty years they have been writing a new chapter in its story. Then their son Baptiste and his wife Julie joined in the beginning of the new millennium, and together they embarked on a new adventure, taking a bold decision to work the vineyard and vinify the wines of Grand Village with the same approach and philosophy as Lafleur. Château Grand Village quickly became a singular wine, a down to earth Bordeaux crafted with the means and in the spirit of a grand cru.
WINEMAKING & VINTAGE NOTESSoil and sub-soil: 14 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 & AGEINGMerlot was harvested September 23rd to 28th, Bouchet was harvested October 3rd and 4th. Hand harvested with double sorting at the vineyard and a third sorting in the cellar. Alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel and concrete tanks with soft maceration (15 to 25 days) and moderate tannin extraction. Blending of the reds took place in early winter, and they were ready to be tasted in the following months.
12 months barrel ageing (30% new oak, 40% one year old barrels, 30% two years old barrels). Bottled the second April after harvest.
TASTING NOTESChâteau Grand Village today is a complete and honest wine, without artifice. Harmonious and with great balance, enjoy the wine in its youth. Yet, with a few years in bottle, start appreciating more and more its refined and mineral tannic spine, which make the wine really the “Grand Village of Lafleur.”
RESOURCES
Société Civile du Château Lafleur Portfolio
