Château Lafleur is freeing itself from the Pomerol AOC rules and will now be sold as a ‘Vin de France’. What will be the impact on its image … and the price of its wines?
Pomerol – an appellation that wine lovers dream about. Famed for its prestigious labels, this tiny appellation covers just 813 hectares – the equivalent of 1% of Bordeaux’s surface area – which neighbours the Saint Émilion plateau. Petrus, Trotanoy, La Conseillante, Le Pin, L’Evangile and Lafleur are emblematic properties which will cause enthusiasts mouth to water at just hearing their name. The delicate nature of the wines, their silky texture and their incomparable elegance are just some of their attributes which make them so desirable. This shows just how significant it was for the Guinaudeau family, owners of Château Lafleur, to decide to leave the appellation. Baptiste and Julie Guinaudeau undertook this courageous act because of climate change whose acceleration is forcing them to adapt their practices if they wish to conserve the quality of their wines. One of their concerns is irrigation. Yes, exemptions exist if you choose to irrigate your vines, but the Guinaudeau would like to go further, by reducing vine density to regulate water needs, combating heat by using methods such as mulching or finding ways to add shade… nothing very revolutionary, but enough to step outside the framework of the Pomerol appellation’s rules.
Will this gamble effect the château’s success? This confidential property, which has done well to protect its peace and quiet, is however well-known by the most discerning connoisseurs. Baptiste and Julie Guinaudeau work alongside their team in the estate’s pocket-sized vineyard, which measures just 4.5 hectares. Their wine stands out in Pomerol because is it made from equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Its microscopic production supported by loyal customers should not suffer with this change as Vin de France wines are all the rage when produced by talented, creative winemakers looking for ways to adapt their practices to today’s environment. But how can you be certain?
What is a Vin de France from Bordeaux worth?
During the first six months of the 2025, no fewer than 3,477 bottles with Vin de France on their label were sold at iDealwine auctions. Among those, only 18 bottles came from the Bordeaux region, which goes to show that winemakers there have not massively renounced the prestige of its appellations. The challenge is sizeable.
At the top of the auction rankings at the start of the year was a rare sweet wine called Marie Elisa produced by the Amoreau family at Château Le Puy. The 500 ml bottle from the 2010 vintage went under the hammer for €150 (which is €225 when scaled to 750 ml). Other Vins de France from the region did not surpass the €100 mark. A magnum of the extremely little-known Domaine du Jaugaret in Saint-Julien obtained €150 (or €75 per standard bottle) for the 2015 vintage. Another tiny estate, that of Osamu Uchida in Pauillac, remains even more accessible at auction even if its bottles’ appearance there is rare. The wine Phéromone 20/21 was sold for €35. Last year, iDealwine’s natural wine auction rankings, which include a large amount of Vins de France, did not have a single Bordeaux lot in the first 20 highest-priced wines.
Enthusiasts’ recognition
While Bordeaux may not be leading the way when it comes to Vin de France popular with wine enthusiasts, the Guinaudeau family are undeniably pioneers for leaving such a prestigious appellation. When looking at the data, Vin de France that appreciate in value on the secondary market are those from estates where the winemaker adapts natural production methods, embracing less disruptive viticulture and vinification, rather than estates that have renounced their appellation. Among the highest-priced wines from the first six months of 2025, those producing Vins de France include Tino Kuban in Meursault (his 2018 En Belle Rose sold for €2,629), Jean-Marc Brignot in Jura (his 2004 Trésor d’Aiglepierre – Echarde was auctioned for €1,127), and Xavier Caillard of Jardins Esméraldins in Saumur (his white 2002 Genèse went for €1,089).
Will Château Lafleur retain its value?
The gamble is undeniably large for this estate whose wines fetch over €1000 per bottle for great vintages. In the first half of 2025, beautiful Château Lafleur vintages shone at auction with bottles from 1990, 2000 and 2005 all obtaining €1,377 at iDealwine auctions, while a bottle from 2016 sold for €1,064 and one from 2015 €1,039. The 2019 vintage went under the hammer for €1,027 and the 2020 for €1,004. Once Château Lafleur’s wines are released with Vin de France labels, will they remain attractive to wine enthusiasts? The rarity of the wines will undeniably be an asset. In the first six months of the year, only 125 bottles from the property went under the iDealwine hammer. The answer to this question on everyone’s lips is in the hands of those who adore this property and those who wish to continue finding the château’s bottles to complete their collections. To follow closely!
Learn more about Château Lafleur
Buy Vin de France
Also on the iDealwine blog:
