The oldest reference of Lafaurie-Peyraguey mentioned the construction
of a fortified keep in the 13th century, before viticulture started. In the
early 17th century the land was owned by Raymond Peyraguey, a member
of the rural bourgeois who settled in Bommes in 1618.
In 1742 it was acquired by Baron
Nicolas-Pierre de Pichard, a local parliamentarian who also owned Lafite and
Coutet, and also oversaw the construction of dedicated winemaking facilities. He met
his end during the Revolution, and his estate, known as Pichard-Peyraguey then,
was first leased to a local named Vignon, before sold as a national asset in
1796 to Lafaurie and Mauros, with the former buying out the latter subsequently.
Lafaurie also owned a stake in nearby
Chateau d’Arche, and renamed the estate Lafaurie-Peyraguey, and got it ranked
third place in the 1855 classification, directly behind d’Yquem and La Tour
Blanche. When Lafaurie died the estate was passed to his widow, who married
again to St-Rieul-Dupouy, who later sold it to Comte Duchatel, proprietor of
Chateau Lagrange, in 1865.
By then the vineyards shrunk to 27
hectares, but he refurbished extensively, remodeling the chateau and buildings,
responsible for the appearance of the current estate. Upon his death the
property was passed to his daughter Charlotte de Tremoille, who sold the
chateau and cellars to Farinel et Gredy in 1879, continued to be named
Lafaurie-Peyraguey, and the other portion to Grillon, becoming the current Clos
Haut-Peyraguey.
Under the Gredy family the quality started
to decline, partly due to phylloxera and oidium, also the backdrop of war and
recession. It was later sold to Desire Cordier in 1917, with the Cordier family
continued to run for much of the century. The winemaking
responsibility was given to Michel Laporte in 1983, seeing renewed success.
In 1984 it was acquired by the Suez Group,
now known as GDF Suez after several mergers. Between 1998 and
2004 the chateau, other buildings and the vineyard have all seen significant
work, with climate-controlled cellars. 
The 48-hectare vineyards are scattered
across Bommes, Sauternes, Preignac and Fargues, with three main plots, the
first of 11 hectare lying directly behind and around the chateau, the second of
5 hectare at a slightly higher elevation, adjacent to the Lafaurie sibling Clos
Haut-Peyraguey, and the third of 5 hectare closer to Guiraud, with the
remaining small plots near Rieussec, Yquem and Suduiraut.
There was a vineyard originally under
d’Arche but got cleaved off during Revolution and resold to the Cordiers after
the Revolution. The soils are rich in silica and gravel, with some variations in
soils because of wide distribution of plots, which also protected against
failure in any one vintage. Today Semillon accounts for almost all the
vineyard, with only 8% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle, of average vine age
of 40 years.
The fruit is harvested by hand in multiple
tries, between 3-7 depending on the vintage, with average yield of 18 hl/ha,
with pneumatic pressing and subsequently in vertical basket press. There
is cold soaking at 15 degree Celsius followed by alcoholic fermentation,
entirely in French oak of which 30% are new. After that the
wine is aged in the same barrique for between 18-20 months, with racking every
3-5 months. The grand vin is Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey of about 5500 cases and
a second wine.
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has deep gold color, with fading rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas of stone fruit of apricot, citrus fruit of
blood orange, tropical fruit of pineapple, floral notes of honeysuckle, oak
notes of pine and butterscotch, dried fruit of raisin, maturity notes of honey
and botrytis, mineral notes of beeswax, sweet spice of ginger candy. The wine
is developing.
Palate
Sweet
with high acidity, the wine has medium alcohol level, showing a bit of
warmness. It has medium (+) body and medium (+) intensity on flavors of stone
fruit of apricot, tropical fruit of pineapple, citrus fruit of orange
marmalade, oak notes of butterscotch and caramel, maturity notes of honey,
sweet spice of ginger candy. The wine has a medium (+) finish.
Conclusion
Very
good quality high-priced Sauternes with good intensity on the nose showing high
complexity, but the most notable is the surprising light palate, with not only
the acidity balancing well to bring nice refreshing enjoyment but also
highlighting the elegance and finesse of a good Sauternes, which despite the
concentration did provide a delicate feel. Ready to drink now though can
further develop for another 8-10 years. 
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