Les Champs Libres is the white wine of the Guinaudeau family, better known for Château Lafleur in Pomerol. Made entirely from Sauvignon Blanc on Right Bank limestone, the 2021 is a dry, saline white.
About This Wine
The 2021 is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, picked in mid-September and raised entirely in barrel on its lees. It was the first vintage made in the family's new cellar, and the wine was expected to need a longer élevage than usual. The fresher 2021 season suited white Bordeaux, and here it shows as tension and a chalky, citrus-led line rather than weight.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: White flowers, lime zest and pear, with crushed stone and a little struck-match reduction that clears with air.
- Palate: Medium-bodied and creamy from lees contact, with white peach and orange peel held tight by bright acidity.
- Finish: Long, saline and chalky, with a touch of lemongrass.
Serving & Food
Pour at 10 to 12°C into a white Burgundy glass and let it breathe for half an hour. It is still a little young; the late 2020s through the 2030s should see it at its best. Steamed garoupa with ginger and spring onion, seared scallops in brown butter or a goat's cheese tart all suit it.
How to Enjoy
White Bordeaux drinkers looking for something far from the usual Sauvignon-Sémillon style, and followers of the Lafleur family's wines.
Product Details
Wine: Les Champs Libres Blanc
Vintage: 2021
Region: Bordeaux, France
Appellation: Bordeaux Blanc
Format: 750mL
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc (100%)
Style: Dry white wine
Detail: Produced by the Guinaudeau family of Château Lafleur
About the Château
Julie and Baptiste Guinaudeau created Les Champs Libres in 2013 at Château Grand Village in Mouillac, near Fronsac, a property that has been in Jacques Guinaudeau's family since 1650. White wine has a long history there. In 2012 a couple of barrels of Sauvignon Blanc from one parcel stood out so clearly that the couple decided to bottle their finest white fruit on its own. Some of the vines were propagated from Sancerre cuttings, chosen for texture and aromatic depth. The wine is drawn from four parcels, A Louima, Mathilde, Léonard and Les Acacias, on the clay-limestone plateau of Ambeau, and is made in the same spirit as Lafleur, with organic conversion and parcel-by-parcel winemaking.