Description
The Grand Village wine estate is selectively planted – only a little over a third of the land is planted to vine. Other parcels provide the ideal soil and biodiversity for nurseries – where massale selection cuttings from Lafleur are cultivated. The rest produces cereal crops, serves as grazing for cattle or left as woodland. It is viticulture in harmony with agriculture and nature – nothing is forced.
The 17.8 hectares which are suited to viticulture have exceptional clay and chalk soil, and are planted to Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. The Guinaudeau family is set to produce classy, elegant and deeply mineral wines – evoking both the clay topsoil and the limestone deep below the ground. By expressing the terroir so elegantly, they aim to raise Le Grand Village’s status from Bordeaux Supérieur to Grand Cru.
Tasting notes
The 2019 Grand Village Blanc, 25% Sémillon and 75% Sauvignon Blanc (Bordeaux clones and massal selection) has a perfumed bouquet of yellow plum, nectarine and honeysuckle. The palate is well balanced with a waxy texture, dried apricot and pear, lovely weight and salinity surfacing on the finish. It is one of the finest Grand Village Blanc that I have tasted. [91 Points, Neal Martin – May 2021, vinous.com]
