2019, Les Champs Libres, BORDEAUX Blanc (Ch. Lafleur)

Bordeaux Blend: Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon.

A rich nose, this smells evocative but also so fresh with white fruits - peach and apricot and some yellow flowers subtle but nuanced. Tension and juice on the palate, lovely clarity and texture on the tongue, the lemon, green apple, peach juice, pineapple and grapefruit settles and lingers - almost tangy with high acidity but also a lovely touch of minerality which nicely counters the exotic fruits. Excellent presence and character. A blend of mostly Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc vine genetics with a small percentage of Sauternes Sémillon genetics. 94 Georgina Hindle.

This has tons of flesh and depth through the mid palate, there is real substance here, translating into muscles rather than weight, and clear minerality in its slate texture. One barrel of Sémillon, and 100% Sancerre genetics for the Sauvignon Blanc, vinified 100% in new oak, partly Burgundy barrels and partly larger sized oak casks. From the same limestone plot as Les Perrières.  95 Jane Anson.

The 2019 Les Champs Libres conveys composure on the nose, touches of pear, Granny Smith and menthol, fine cohesion, quite flattering at this early stage. The palate is well-balanced with a touch of reduction on the entry, fine acidity, a lot of extract here with white peach and apricot towards its toasty, sesame-tinged finish. Wonderful. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. 93 Neal Martin, Vinous (2023).

Drinking Window: 2024 - 2038