I’m absolutely delighted that Jean-François and Veronique Julien’s Chateau La Fleur Morange has been promoted to Grand Cru Classé in the new Saint Emilion Classification. This small chateau has only being producing wine for the past decade and a half and this is a remarkable achievement!
La Fleur Morange has attracted high acclaim from wine critics across the globe and its climb through the ranks has been quite dramatic. Without doubt this has been down to the relentless quest for perfection and painstaking hard work undertaken by the Juliens.
La Fleur Morange is also rather special as the 4 acre vineyard lies on unique soil: a combination of sand, clay and chalk over an iron oxide sub soil (crasse de fer) which is 15.7 inches (40 cm) below the surface, resting on top of limestone bedrock – the only complex mixture known to exist in Saint Emilion.
The little vineyard also has the added rarity of having 100 year old vines.
I have loved the Julien’s wines for years and it’s not often that you are able to watch the rise of a wine from its birth to stardom but this has been the case with Chateau La Fleur Morange. Originally a cabinet maker who married into a wine making family Jean-François created La Fleur Morange from scratch.
It was his dream at the outset was to make great wine: “I had a parcel of old vines at St-Pey d’Armens in St-Emilion and wanted to make a wine of the highest quality that could compete with the best in Bordeaux.” The fine wine that the Julien’s have produced demonstrates the staying power of this tiny garagiste estate and at last it has been recognised.
No estate considered as garagiste had been included in the Saint Emilion Classification before 2012, perhaps because some thought they were cult wines that would have a short life. However Chateau La Fleur Morange has proved that it is not only here to stay but that it can outshine its peers.
The new Classification has rectified the absence of superb wines that are long overdue promotion – Jean-Luc Thunevin’s Chateau Valandraud is now a Premier Cru Classé B and Chateau Sansonnet has been promoted to Grand Cru Classé, as has Chateau de Pressac.
The official list from the INAO is below – one notable absence is that of Premier Grand Cru Classé B Chateau Magdelaine which has merged with Chateau Belair-Monage.
Premier Grand Cru Classé A
Château Angélus
Château Ausone,
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Pavie
Premier Grand Cru Classé B
Château Beausejour (Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse),
Château Beau-Sejour Bécot,
Château Belair-Monange,
Château Canon,
Château Canon La Gaffelière,
Château Figeac,
Clos Fourtet,
Château La Gaffelière,
Château Larcis Ducasse,
La Mondotte,
Château Pavie Macquin,
Château Troplong Mondot,
Château Trottevieille,
Château Valandraud
Grand Cru Classé:
Château L’Arrosée,
Château Balestard La Tonnelle,
Château Barde-Haut,
Château Bellefont-Belcier,
Château Bellevue,
Château Berliquet,
Château Cadet-Bon,
Château Cap de Mourlin,
Château Le Chatelet,
Château Chauvin,
Château Clos de Sarpe,
Château La Clotte,
Château La Commanderie,
Château Corbin,
Château Côte de Baleau,
Château La Couspaude,
Château Dassault,
Château Destieux,
Château La Dominique,
Château Faugeres,
Château Faurie de Souchard,
Château de Ferrand
Château Fleur Cardinale,
Château La Fleur Morange,
Château Fombrauge,
Château Fonplegade,
Château Fonroque,
Château Franc Mayne,
Château Grand Corbin,
Château Grand Corbin-Despagne,
Château Grand Mayne,
Château Les Grandes Murailles,
Château Grand-Pontet,
Château Guadet,
Château Haut-Sarpe,
Clos des Jacobins,
Couvent des Jacobins,
Château Jean Faure,
Château Laniote,
Château Larmande,
Château Laroque,
Château Laroze,
Clos La Madeleine,
Château La Marzelle,
Château Monbousquet,
Château Moulin Du Cadet,
Clos de l’Oratoire,
Château Pavie Decesse,
Château Peby Faugères,
Château Petit Faurie de Soutard,
Château de Pressac,
Château Le Prieuré,
Château Quinault l’Enclos,
Château Ripeau,
Château Rochebelle,
Château Saint-Georges-Cote-Pavie,
Clos Saint-Martin,
Château Sansonnet,
Château La Serre,
Château Soutard,
Château Tertre Daugay (now Chateau Quintus),
Château La Tour Figeac,
Château Villemaurine,
Château Yon-Figeac.
