Château Lafleur is a tiny (4.5ha, 11 acres) family-run property in the Pomerol appellation on Bordeaux's Right Bank. Its grand vin of the same name, a combination of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, is known for its concentration, creamy texture, intense black fruits and spicy character.
The wine is also powerfully structured and needs more cellaring than most wines in the appellation. In the best vintages it can last half a century.
Famous US wine critic Robert Parker has called it "one of the most distinctive, most exotic, and greatest wines – not only in Pomerol, but in the world". Thanks in part to regular praise from Parker, who first visited in 1975, it is one of the most sought-after and highest priced wines on our database.
Lafleur was founded in 1872 when Henri Greloud, the owner of Château Le Gay, bought the plot. It remains in the family and is now run his great, great grandchildren Jacques and Sylvie Guinaudeau. There are now six distinct vineyards (or groups of parcels) within the portfolio, each corresponding to a distinct wine.
The vineyard sits on deep layers of gravel on the edge of the Pomerol plateau, next to the La Fleur-Pétrus estate – another of the region's blue-chip wineries. The Lafleur vineyard is planted 50/50 between Merlot and Bouchet - the traditional local name for Cabernet Franc used by the Guinaudeau family.
The unusually high proportion of the latter which contributes greatly to the wine's capacity (and need) for ageing. Yields are very low even by the standards of Pomerol.
