A family at Pomerol since 1477
The vineyard of château La Fleur de Gay is currently developed by the Lebreton family heir of a line of Pomerol winemakers that began their trade in 1772 but first arrived in the village in1477.
The ancestors of the Raynaud-Lebreton family, Mathelin and Michel Barraud, received at this date, as a lease from the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem, some lands at the center of the Pomerol's shelf. This tenement called the Barrauderie was the land of the current Pétrus, châteaux l’Evangile, la Conseillante, Gazin, Petit Village and Vieux Château Certan
A vintners family since 1772
While the 18th century corresponded to the advent of the quality of the vineyards in Saint Emilion and Pomerol, in 1772 the parish registers specify that Jean Brugnet, ancestor (sixth generation) to the current owners of the château La Croix Gay, was winemaker in Pomerol.
Therefore the current owners of the château La Fleur Gay is probably one of the oldest winemaker family in Pomerol.
The 21st century
After their mum passed away, brother and sister took different paths. Alain sold the shares he had of the property; while Chantal, supported by her husband and her children, decided to follow the family tradition.
Refocused on the earth of our vineyard, with a new cellar on our historic hamlet, surrounded with a team which each year support us in expressing the terroir and continuity of winemaking technics, the story of our winemaker family with Pomerol continues.
Vinification : a new "tool" at the heigh of the family know-how
At Château La Fleur de Gay, the winemaker retains the upper hand throughout the vinification procedures. The wine is a reflection of the relationship between the terroirs and its creator.
The high quality of the facilities is a reflection of the perfectionism of Mr. Noël Raynaud and his willingness to give the best to his wine. However he never accepted, although he had modernized it, to change its concrete vat-house from the beginning of the 20th century. This tool has long been a reminder that it is only the work and the “peasant” spirit of previous generations that allow us to have the great pleasure to serve this great terroir of Pomerol.
However the dilapidation, not of the production tool, but of the buildings from early 19th century housing the fermenting room has led us to consider its complete restructuring.
The new cellar is operational since the 2014 vintage. It is built in line with the former without forgetting about the respect given to harvesting and the wine (more relevant location closer to the aging cellar, work by gravity).
The winemaking and maceration therefore always take place in cement vats, with high thermal inertia and thermoregulation. The original tulip flower corolla-shaped vats optimize the grape pulp/juice contact. Their small volume is perfectly adapted to the plots.
The “écoulage” (operations to separate the wine contained in the tanks from the marc formed by the skins and seeds of grapes from which the wine gets its structure, volume and flavorings), unveils a black juice, thick, with purple tints, the aromas of concentrated fruit and of a perfect balance.
Elevage : guidance of wine
Chantal Lebreton has inherited from her father a perfectionist and hardworking spirit. Bringing her sensitivity to this family legacy, it is by discrete notes of femininity that she creates every year a new vintage of Château La Croix de Gay for your greatest pleasure. She carries on the family work and inheritance, hereby justifying the great consistency of the wines of Château La Fleur de Gay, that she wants one of the highest expression of Pomerol and that Robert Parker consider to be