Château Lafleur undoubtedly has one of the finest vineyards (4.5 hectares) in the Pomerol appellation. Owned by Marie Robin until her death in 2002, Château Lafleur was subsequently acquired by the Guinaudeau family, who have been active in managing the estate since 1872. In fact, Jacques Guinaudeau has been in charge of Lafleur since 1985.
The rectangular-shaped vineyard in a single block is surrounded by prestigious neighbors: Pétrus, La Croix de Gay, Hosanna, Vieux Château Certan, and Gazin. Lafleur has a rather unusual mix of grape varieties for Pomerol: 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet-Franc. Jacques Guinaudeau feels that the soil matters more than the grape variety. A survey showed that Lafleur has five distinct soil types. The three best parts consist of a clay-gravel plot to the south, a more gravelly plot to the southwest, and a clay-sand plot in the north, in front of the château. The remaining two parcels, an eastern plot with sandy-clay-gravel soil and, in the heart of the vineyard, a small, deep rise, are rich in nutriments and water, thus more productive and less quality-oriented. Wine from these two plots are essentially used to produce the 2nd wine, Les Pensées de Lafleur.
Viticulture at Château Lafleur is very traditional, with Guyot double pruning for good ventilation of the grapes. Replanting has been done by degrees since 1993 in order to replace vines missing due to fanleaf disease. Unusually, the various grape varieties are all mixed together in the vineyard because, previously, the Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes were all picked at the same time! However, the vines have since been mapped out and marked so that variety can be harvested separately. Furthermore, the breakdown of grape varieties will be fine-tuned even further during future replanting. The soil is only superficially plowed so as not to bury the large pebbles on the surface. The soil around the vines is not earthed up.
Green harvesting and leaf thinning are practiced to a minor extent. The round stones in part of the vineyard account for earlier ripening. Jacques Guinaudeau likes to be very much in control in the vineyard, but has a hands-off, let-nature-have-its-way approach in the cellar.
Picking is timed according to the phenolic maturity of each grape variety, in each plot. The grapes are carefully sorted in the vineyard and totally destemmed before being brought to the vatroom, where they stay on the skins for 18-20 days at a temperature of 28-30°C. The wine is briefly pumped over twice a day during alcoholic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation tales place in barrel with cultured yeast and usually lasts until late December. The final blend is then made, and the wine is aged in barrels (40% of which are new), with racking every three months. All winemaking practices are very gentle. For example, it is not filtered, and simply fined with egg white in the early summer.
The Guinaudeau family philosophy has always been to reflect the character of each vintage. The wine has recently changed style somewhat. Previously, it was big, powerful, concentrated, and elegant, with good aging potential. Since the estate has been taken over by Jacques Guinaudeau, Lafleur has become even more refined and representative of its terroir.
