In Greek mythology, Campos Elysees, ‘Elysium’, refers to the blessed fields. Etymologically, ????????? / enêlúsion is the ‘place struck by lightning’. It is the eternal paradise for heroic and virtuous souls and also the name chosen by François Lurton to baptize his projects in the DO Toro y Rueda. They define it as “a compendium of know-how and passion, of authenticity and character”. Bodegas Campo Elíseo is, at the same time, “the story of a love for terroirs and varieties that grow in extreme weather conditions.” It is this love of the land and this oenological curiosity that leads François Lurton to discover authentic terroirs and unique autochthonous varieties all over the world.
Now a top-of-the-range DO Rueda white is on the market for the first time. François Lurton assures that it is a sauvignon blanc “to break myths”, to show that in Spain “there can finally be a wine of this level with this variety”. It was born in a tiny La Seca vineyard of only 0.40 hectares, located on a slight slope and which in the past was the object of “little care”. It was planted on a trellis 23 years ago with a framework of 2,300 feet per hectare. After being acquired by François Lurton, agriculture was converted from conventional to organic, and its soils were regenerated without irrigation. And with this they obtain today a “phenomenal” grape.
The vineyard soil is dark greyish-brown, gravelly, sandy-loam and rich in calcium and magnesium. The harvest of this plot was carried out by hand on September 3, 2020. It was a rainy year, which had a great influence on his vineyard since they do not have irrigation. The precipitation of the year was around 450 mm/m2, when the usual is 350 mm/m2. This, together with good rainfall, led to the vigor of the plants being ideal for obtaining grapes “with enormous aromatic potential.” The health of the harvest was “unbeatable”. The yield of the plot was a little less than 25 Hl/Ha.
After spending the night in a cold room, the grapes went through a bunch selection table, and after the destemmer, through another berry selection table until they reached the press, where they were macerated for 3 hours. The alcoholic fermentation took place with indigenous yeasts from their own vineyards. The fermentation in barrels, during which battonage was carried out, was very long: it lasted 75 days. Fermentation and aging took place in new, lightly toasted, fine-grained French oak barrels for six months, to then transfer the wine to 400-litre stoneware jars, where the aging finished for another six months. The sleeper where the jars rest is supported by wheels, which allows them to rotate to remove the fine lees, avoiding adding oxygen. The wine did not undergo malolactic fermentation. All this took place in an underground gallery, 14 meters underground.
Pale straw yellow. Initially it is expressed timidly in the olfactory phase, to gradually open up to finally show intense and expressive notes. It exhibits notes of white flower and nectarine on a slightly creamy and citric background (lemon yogurt). It also has a slight mineral and balsamic touch, with a somewhat bitter raw almond finish. It’s very subtle. In fact, it has been baptized as Harmony, which is the balance, the proportion and the appropriate correspondence between the different parameters of its set. François Lurton highlights its complexity, sustained “in many small things, without standing out much in anything”. Its main feature is its marked acidity, which makes it very sharp and elegant. A sauvignon blanc with such impressive acidity is surprising in an area as warm as Rueda. François Lurton assures that this wine “has changed my idea about the Spanish sauvignon blanc”.
He came to think that something like this could not be achieved. Despite acknowledging that he likes the aromatic side of the Loire Sauvignon Blancs, he affirms that his Harmonía seeks more inspiration from the wines made with this variety in Bordeaux. François Lurton likes to pair this white with dishes with a certain amount of fat, such as veal sweetbreads or turbot. The director of Campos Elíseos, winemaker Germán Nieto, prefers to accompany it with a salad of mild marinated game birds. And from the winery they also recommend pairing it with grilled pork ribs with herbs, roasted red meat, duck fillet with black currants and hard cheeses.
François Lurton arrived in Castilla more than 30 years ago. Since then, he has managed to combine the French and Castilian wine tradition, becoming a benchmark in the production of great Spanish wines. His objective was and is, “to produce high-end wines in these denominations of origin with the Tinta de Toro and Verdejo varieties, using their own winemaking techniques.” To produce the wines of Bodegas Campo Elíseo in the DO Rueda, a manor house dating from the 17th century was restored. Located in the Valladolid town of La Seca, known for being the birthplace of Verdejo, it has become the symbol of Campo Elíseo.
At first, François Lurton, seduced by the place and its history, made the decision to build the winery within the typically Castilian brick walls. It was then that they discovered a great secret hidden there: the house had an impressive network of underground galleries. He decided to rehabilitate the underground galleries to be able to vinify the wines from Campo Elíseo de Rueda there. Subsequently, and in front of the manor house, a new building was erected to receive and press the grapes. The natural temperature of the underground galleries is cool. Even when the outside temperature exceeds 40 degrees, the cellar maintains a perfect temperature of 12 degrees (being able to drop to eight in winter). Therefore, it is not necessary to use energy to regulate the temperature. As stated by the winery, the natural climate, protected from noise and external aggressions, contributes to the slow and balanced maturation process.
In Rueda they produce around 150,000 bottles a year, of which 35% are exported. The Netherlands, Sweden and Canada are its main international markets. In Toro they make another 100,000 bottles a year. Bordeaux is home to the headquarters, bottling center and distribution center for all the wines of the Domaines François Lurton group. Only in France do they have the Mas Janeil winery (with 34 hectares of vineyards in Tutavel, in the Languedoc area), Domaine de Nizas (with 38 hectares of vineyards planted in three denominations: AOP Languedoc-Pézenas, AOP Languedoc and IGP Pays d ‘OC; and with a winery located near the medieval village of Pézenas) and Domaine de Targuerie (with 60 hectares of forests and vineyards in Cazaubon, in the Armagnac area). In addition, there are the Piedra Negra wineries (with 200 hectares in the Argentine area of ??Mendoza, at an altitude of 1,100 meters) and Humo Blanco-Hacienda Araucano (with 28 hectares of vineyards in Lolol – Santa Cruz, in the Chilean Colchagua Valley).
