"G" Acte 1 to 8
BY NEAL MARTIN |
Back in the mists of time, I remember Baptiste Guinaudeau, the tousled co-proprietor of Lafleur, unveiling a new wine at his parents’ family home, Grand Village. Christened “G Acte 1,” it was a blend of old Merlot vines and Cabernet Franc rooted not on Pomerol clay but on Fronsac limestone. Though it was just a barrel sample, I was both intrigued and impressed by this new addition to the portfolio, and since then I have tasted every vintage, though never together as a vertical. That was rectified last March when Guinaudeau’s indefatigable right-hand man, Omri Ram, came to London to show Acte 1 to 8, explaining how its raison d’être and composition have altered over the years, predicating its reincarnation in 2018. It has been a rather complicated, ongoing transition.
“The creation of a new vineyard aimed at making ’Grand Vin‘ takes a lot of time,” Ram explained, gesticulating wildly as ever, dropping the occasional “did he just say that?” expletive and barely pausing for breath. “It's difficult to separate the evolution of the vineyard into clear chapters. Instead, we should talk about a curve of evolution during which there is an important change. Simplifying things, we can say that the first phase of this project had two chapters: before Bouchet from 2009 to 2012 and after Bouchet from 2013 to 2016 [Ram uses the local name for Cabernet Franc]. But this project was and is in constant evolution, with changes and additions made every year.”
“The project started in 2009 with Acte 1, based on the best parcels of Merlot and the different clones of Cabernet Franc that existed at Grand Village, 326, 327 and 214.” Ram described these as “reference parcels,” ostensibly a testing ground for their new project. “Between 2010 and 2012 we gradually eliminated two of the three clones of Cabernet Franc after detecting an important difference in quality, so that by 2012 the Cabernet Franc part was dominated by the 214 clone, which gives small berries and a better skin-to-liquid ratio.”
