Portfolio
Château Raymond-Lafon, Sauternes
Although Château Raymond-Lafon has long been considered one of the best producers in the Sauternes appellation, it was not included in the 1855 classification, as Monsieur Raymond-Lafon founded the estate only five years earlier. Inherited by Louis Pontallier at the turn of the 20th century, the property’s reputation for quality continued to grow, but Raymond-Lafon’s greatest wines were to come under the stewardship of Francine and Pierre Meslier, who purchased the estate in 1972.
An agricultural engineer, Pierre Meslier was the longtime manager of the famed Château d’Yquem, situated just above Raymond-Lafon. Following the Yquem blueprint for the highly-specialized cultivation and handling of grapes blessed with the noble rot (botrytis-cinerea), he set out to match Yquem in quality. Perhaps British author/Decanter columnist Andrew Jefford sums up the results best in his book The New France: "...it sits underneath Yquem; its average yield is the same as Yquem; it is made in the same way as Yquem. The message, in other words, is clear: although hard to find, this is one of the greatest of all Sauternes."
Since 1990, Château Raymond-Lafon has been run by Francine and Pierre’s three children: Marie-Françoise (Château Director), Charles-Henri (Winemaker) and Jean-Pierre (Export Manager). Charles-Henri was expertly trained in both vineyard and cellar by his father. La Revue du Vin speaks to the legacy of Pierre Meslier in the two-star rating in its annual classification of the best wines of France: "...His children continue with the same self-sacrifice and discipline...The Meslier family aims for the highest quality possible and they obtain it."
Château Facts
| Vines: | 40 of the estate's 44 acres under vine – Average age of vines is 40-years-old. 80% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc |
| Wines: | Château Raymond-Lafon Sauternes Jeunes Pousses de Raymond-Lafon Sauternes (young vines) |
| Soil: | Calcareous clay under thin cover of sandy gravel |
| Harvest: | Careful selection of botrytis-effected grapes by hand |
| Yields: | Miniscule 8.5 to 9 hectolitres/hectare |
| Vinification: | Traditional (old-style) vertical hydraulic press. Fermentation stops naturally when alcohol level reaches approximately 13.5% as botrytis kills yeasts. Aged for up to three years in combination of new and neutral oak barrels. Several rackings and fining necessary to clarify wines due to incredibly dense concentration. |
| Annual Production: | 20,000 bottles – 1667 cases |