2017 Les Champs Libres
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Tasting notes
The 2017 Les Champs Libres is my pick of the vintages between 2013 and 2018. It delivers wonderful mineralité and tension, a little more malic in style with a dash of fresh lime. The palate is likewise fresh and, despite being 100% Sauvignon Blanc, its malic drive echoes that of a fine Chablis. Slightly fumé on the finish, this is drinking supremely well. Tasted from ex-château magnum at Kate & Kon's 40-Year vertical in Austria.
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Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Natural-cork closure. Tasted blind. Pale lemon colour. Fresh, vibrant and green. Bright, zesty fruit, mineral and fine. Lithe, forward, green fruit. Primary. Touch of smoke on the finish. (TP)
The 2017 Les Champs Libres marries super-expressive Sauvignon Blanc flavors with notable richness of texture. Dense and resonant in the glass, Champ Libres is another wine in the Guinadeau family's range that bristles with character. Light tropical accents add further shades of dimension.
Made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre sélection massale clones, the Les Champs Libres 2017 Blanc opens with very alluring scents of jasmine, peach blossoms and oyster shells over a core of lemon curd, yuzu and key lime pie. Medium-bodied, the palate has a razor fine line of crisp acidity cutting through the intense, tightly wound citrus fruit layers, finishing very long, chalky and deliciously invigorating. Seriously, this is like drinking liquid minerals. Made by the forward-thinking, highly attuned and very talented Guinaudeau family (of Chateau Lafleur fame), this inspired wine is truly coming into its own from this vintage, and it is well-worth seeking out!
About the producer
The Société Civile du Ch. Lafleur is the collective name for the Guinaudeau family’s wines and estates. These are some of the Right Bank’s most famous wines, including Ch. Lafleur and Les Pensées in Pomerol, along with Les Perrières, Les Champs Libres and Ch. Grand Village in Fronsac.