Chateau Lafleur - Les Champs Libres 2019

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The Les Champs Libres 2019 Blanc wafts from the glass with notes of lime blossom, citrus zest, wet stones and pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, taut and incisive, it's chalky and concentrated, with racy acids, lovely structuring dry extract and a long, mineral finish. It's produced from Sancerrois massal selections of Sauvignon Blanc (and now a tiny percentage of Sémillon, too) planted on deep clay soils on the slopes at Grand Village, the Guinaudeau family having sagely concluded that clay is as essential to a great white wine as limestone. Like many of this family's wines, it makes a mockery of Bordeaux's traditional hierarchy."

JAMES SUCKLING: "This is very intense and powerful with dried apple, pear and aniseed. Crushed stone, too. Full-bodied and rather chewy with phenolics and intensity. A real sense of soil and depth. Draws you down. Fantastic finish. 95% sauvignon blanc (95% Sancerre clone), and 5% semillon. Tiny production. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years."

DECANTER: "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 Semillon genetics."

JEB DUNNUCK: "From the Guinaudeau family of Château Lafleur in Pomerol, the 2019 Guinaudeau Vignerons Les Champs Libres Blanc is all Sauvignon raised in new barrels. It's another remarkable white from this team that brings richness and depth as well as freshness, balance, and elegance. Caramelized grapefruits, orange blossom, chalky mineral, and white flowers, as well as hints of green almond, all emerge from this beauty and it's medium-bodied, has good concentration, and racy acidity. It's going to benefit from a year or three of bottle age and evolve gracefully for over a decade."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Honeysuckle, pink grapefruit, guava, lemon meringue, and flowers create the complex nose. With crisp, bright, fresh, juicy, yellow citrus, the wine slaps your palate with fruit and keeps on going all the way through to the creamy finish. If you are a fan of white Bordeaux, this hits all the right buttons and is well-worth seeking out. The wine is produced from 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Drink from 2022-2034."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2019 Les Champs Libres, 95% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Semillon, requires a lot of swirling to bring out notes of fresh lemon peel, elderflower, and white peaches, plus suggestions of white pepper and allspice. The medium-bodied palate reveals a crisp backbone and tight-knit, chalky flavors, finishing zesty. It needs time!"