Chateau Raymond-Lafon

Château Raymond-Lafon is an estate situated in Sauternes, on the banks of the Garonne River in Bordeaux. It was founded by the eopnymous Raymond Lafon in 1850 and today boasts 16 hectares (40 acres) of vineyards within the Sauternes appellation.

Louis Pontallier inherited the estate from his uncle at the beginning of the 20th Century. He continued his family's winemaking legacy here until 1952, when he sold the estate to the Bourdier family. In 1972, Francine and Pierre Meslier acquired Château Raymond-Lafon and today their three children, Marie-Françoise, Charles-Henri and Jean-Pierre, have taken over the running of the estate.

The property's vineyards lie in close proximity to those of Sauternes' renowned Château d'Yquem. Sémillon accounts for 80 percent of the grape varieties grown on the estate, with Sauvignon Blanc making up the remainder. The vineyards are hand-harvested over three to 10 pickings and the grapes ferment naturally for three to five weeks.

Château Raymond-Lafon's wines age in hand-split, new oak barrels for three years and are racked on a three-month basis. This entire process produces approximately 20,00 bottles of wine a year that fall under the estate's three wine labels: Château Raymond-Lafon, Jeunes Pousses de Raymond-Lafon and Le Cadet.