Les Champs Libres, Bordeaux (by Chateau Lafleur, Pomerol)

GRAPES VARITETIES: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

 

TASTING NOTES: More savory and less pink grapefruit than the Grand Villages, like all of the great whites of the world this transcends the varietal it is produced from and has its own distinctive terroir character. Ripe notes of quince and yellow fruit mingling with notes of stone, earth and salt with a citrus zip to the finish. Tense and stony but with lots more going on besides, a complex depth that reveals more of itself with every sip. A Grand white build to age.

 

FOOD PAIRINGS: Grilled Fish | Seafood | Roast White Meat | Sushi | Cha Ca | Pho Cuon

 

 

Chateau Lafleur is another Pomerol wine tied to the success and continuous praise heaped on the wine by Robert Parker. Parker made his first visit to the estate in 1975 and never stopped writing about the wine. Once the career of Robert Parker took off, his comments on Chateau Lafleur excited consumers all over the world. By the 1980s, Chateau Lafleur was on its way to becoming one of the world’s most in-demand wines selling for more than the First Growths. Only Petrus and Le Pin sell for more money today. The 4.58-hectare Pomerol vineyard of Chateau Lafleur is planted in a shape that is unique to Pomerol as it is close to a perfect square. Chateau Lafleur is located in the heart of the Pomerol plateau. At Chateau Lafleur, Merlot and Cabernet Franc are often located next to each other in the same parcel or row of vines. The vines are old, which gives the wine of Chateau Lafleur much of its character. The average age of the vines is close to 40 years of age, but the estate also has much older vines as well. The unique quality and character of Lafleur come from their unique vineyard plantings of equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot, a blend more often seen in Saint Emilion than in Pomerol. At Chateau Lafleur, they use the highest percentage of Cabernet Franc in the entire Pomerol appellation.