PRODUCER: Château Lafon
REGION: Sauternes, Bordeaux, France
FOUNDER/WINEMAKER: Dufour Family
WINERY HISTORY
Château Lafon is the Sauternais estate of the Dufour family. Purchased from the Lafon family in the early 20th-century, four generations of Dufour’s have expertly tended the Château. Lafon is one of an increasingly rare breed in Sauternes. As opposed to the various multinational, foreign ownership groups that control most of their neighbours, the Dufour family remain fiercely independent. Despite difficulties related to production and sale, the Dufour family are dedicated to preserving the legacy of this ancient region.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
The 12ha of the family estate are mostly planted to Semillon, with just a few parcels of Sauvignon. Their holdings are in the heart of the region, many surrounded by the plantings of the world-famous Chateau d’Yquem. Planted across Fargues, Bommes, Perignac, and Sauternes, the vines of Lafon sit on gravelly ridges atop the famed limestone subsoil of Bordeaux. Dense autumn fogs make Château Lafon’s holdings an ideal location to produce Sauternes, providing optimal conditions for the spread of botrytis.
Harvest and winemaking at Château Lafon are arduous. A minimum of four-to-six passes ensures grapes are harvested only at peak ripeness, yielding wines of strength and vitality. Indigenous yeast is used for the fermentation, followed by twelve-months aging in French oak. 98% Semillon and 2% Sauvignon, the Sauternes produced by Lafon is characterised by alluring aromas of honey, acacia, and hazelnut.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc
