The Estate
A Story
of Terroir and Water
Surrounded by prestigious growths from the town of Martillac, in the heart of the Pessac-Léognan appellation on the doorstep of Bordeaux, the lands of Lafont Menaut belonged in the 18th century to the illustrious Enlightenment philosopher and seasoned winemaker, Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, rightful owner of the Rochemorin estate.
Young Charles learned alongside his father, Jacques de Secondat de Montesquieu, to be a fervent defender of the Bordeaux vineyard and more particularly of this beautiful Graves region that he so lovingly roamed. Did he not already say, with tender assurance in the year 1696:
« The wines of Martillac have always remained superior to those of La Brède* ».
Château Lafont Menaut owes its name to the hamlet of Menaut (sometimes spelled Meneau on cadastral maps). As early as the 17th century, a complex of buildings and vineyards stood on the lands of Baron de Montesquieu: hectares of vines, a sheepfold, pasture meadows, as well as a wash house which was later named “La Fontaine de Menaut” to become “Lafont Menaut.”
Back in those ancient times, the barony’s vines were already yielding both white and red wines. Even to this day, they tirelessly carry on the legacy that Baron de Montesquieu initiated 300 years earlier. Thus, through the centuries, the spirit of the great philosopher continues to watch over the lands of Lafont Menaut.
*Subscription contract for the wines of Château de La Brède and Rochemorin, April 24, 1696, Revue historique de Bordeaux et du département de la Gironde, vol. II, 1909, suppl. pp. XXII-XXIII
A Story of Men and Women
Between Land and Know-How
Our Land: being a winemaker requires accepting the idea that nothing is immutable; everything is a precarious and vulnerable balance. Every day, the work in the vineyard is dictated by the subtle interaction between the climate,
the environment, humans, and their land.
Over the centuries, the hand of man has shaped the landscapes, the terroirs, and the plant cover of Château Lafont Menaut. The original matrix has transformed to become a fertile terroir thanks to human know-how and effort.
The vine is human. Without their action, their strength, their mastery, it would not exist in its current form to deliver, harvest after harvest, this precious nectar that we cherish so deeply. At Lafont Menaut, every care given to the vine bestows upon it an authentic and unique character, true to the wine of the Pessac-Léognan appellation.
Here, the vineyard parcels unfold like an open-air mosaic, encircling the property.
Philibert
Karine
Aurélien
Jimmy
Antoine
Dina
Carlos
Since 1990, Philibert Perrin, who comes from a long line of winegrowers and co-owns Château Carbonnieux, has undertaken a replanting programme to breathe new life into this ancestral vineyard. Alongside him, Karine Laroche and the entire team tirelessly continue their efforts to extract from the fruit the quintessential expression of the terroir — like a signature.
A trained oenologist, Karine has worked with the Perrin family for 27 years, including 10 years spent at the family estate Château Carbonnieux. Today, she co-manages the technical operations of Château Lafont Menaut alongside Philibert.
From the Vine
To the Bottle
Château Lafont Menaut is a wine estate covering 40 hectares of land, 24.5 of which are planted with vines. This historic vineyard, with its undulating hills and valleys, lies on exceptional clay-gravel and deep gravel soils.
We shape our wines and reveal their character through the ageing process. When cultivating vines, we must already know the kind of wine we wish to create; and when transforming grapes into wine, we must understand their viticultural history. Everything is interconnected.
Our wooden vats respect the finesse of our terroir and play an essential role in the vinification of Lafont Menaut’s vintages. In the calm of our cellars, we work gently to transform the grapes we have carefully nurtured throughout the year.
