The first official vintage of the Grand Vin was 1978, with the help of the great Bordeaux enologist, Emile Peynaud. The red has a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (around 80%; vine material from First Growth Bordeaux Chateaux) with the remainder a mix of many different varietals that are planted on the property including Merlot, Cab Franc and Tannat, as well as some other less expected varietals like Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo and Barbera. The white is made from an intriguing blend including Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, Viognier and Chenin Blanc as well as bits of Rousanne and Marsanne. Slow, cool, wild yeast fermentations are foundational in achieving pure, long-lived wines. No sulfur is used in red wine vinification, and for white, they add the bare minimum "just to be safe". The wines are aged for 12-15 months in oak before bottling. Both the red and white blends have an extraordinary ability to age and remain vibrant and youthful for twenty, even thirty years.

19/20 score Jancis Robinson

Coffee, mocha, and a beautiful herbal note that combines with mushy, overripe red fruit to really set this vintage apart. It’s wonderfully complete: surprisingly broad on the palate, long and insistent on the finish, and fantastically complex on the nose. Offers the best bits of mature bordeaux (leather, black fruits) and burgundy (earthy, mushroom, red fruit). A real stand out! (Feb 2014)