Château Vignelaure (or “vineyard of the sacred spring”) was created in the 1960s by George Brunet of Château La Lagune of the Haut Médoc region of Bordeaux. He planted the estate wiith Cabernet Sauvignon cuttings from La Lagune, and later added Syrah and Grenache. Today, the day to day management and winemaking at Vignelaure is under the direction and expert care of General Manager and Winemaker Philippe Bru.
The Vineyard, Winemaking, Wines.
In his book “The Wines of the Rhone Valley and Provence,” Robert Parker described Château Vignelaure as “one of the finest show-pieces in Provence if not the whole of France,” and he described the wines as “elegant expressions of Provencal wine-making at its best.” The Vignelaure property is located in Rians, high in the hills of Provence, outside of Aix en Provence. The vineyard has a surface of about 60 hectares and is planted in soil consisting of limestone and clay mixed with gravel.
The"Château" reds are the "grand vins" of the estate. These are Bordeaux style wines that are approachable now but will age and mature for many years to come. They are made from a selection of the finest hand-picked grapes consisting predominantly of Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Syrah and Grenache. Each grape variety is harvested and vinified separately with a long maceration to extract the maximum fruit flavor and produce the optimum level of tannins. After primary fermentation, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged for 12 - 14 months in small oak barrels (70% French, 30% American), 1/3 in new oak and 2/3 in one-year and two-year old oak, with frequent rackings. The wine is then bottled and aged for a further period before commerical release.
Production of the Château reds is about 4800 cases. Yields range about 18 - 21 hectoliters per hectare. The current vintage is 2005.
Vignelaure makes a second (mid-level) red called La Source de Vignelaure. This wine has lots of fruit and and is a crowd-pleaser because it has softer tannins than the Chateau and there is no need to wait for it to mature. It is a wine that is meant to drink young though it can be aged for several years and will still drink well. The current vintage is 2007. Production is about 1,000 cases.
In addition to the reds, Château Vignelaure is known for its outstanding roses.
Awards / Ratings.
Château Vignelaure's wines have received many awards and distinctions. The roses consistently win high marks at the Concours General Agricole in Paris and in other contests and publications. Both the higher-end Chateau and the mid-level La Source were awarded gold medals in Paris in 2008 and 2009. The rose is bottled in March and available in April.
The reds have also received a great deal of critical acclaim. The Château red 2004 was rated 90 by Wine Enthusiast, with Tasting Director and Senior editor Joe Czerwinski describing this wine as a "top-notch effort" and one "that's balanced for up to 20 years of aging . . . ."
Wine reviewer and educator Ray Johnson recently described the Chateau red 2003 as "absolutely lovely" and "an elegant expression of a Cabernet-based blend, showing how Cab can travel on your palate with great length while not clobbering you along the way." SeeRay Johnson Wine Blog (March 2010 review).
