Château du Champ des Treilles
| Vigneron | Corinne and Jean-Michel Comme |
| Location | Margueron (Gironde) |
| Size of Domaine | 10 ha |
| Terroir | Atlantic climate. Clay-limestone with flint outcrops and gravel. 110m altitude. |
| Viticulture | Certified Organic (Ecocert) practising biodynamic |
| View Château du Champ des Treilles wines ↓ |
Champ des Treilles is the family domaine of Corinne and Jean-Michel Comme. It was Jean-Michel’s grandparents, freshly arrived from their native Italy and eager to put down roots in their new home, who planted the first vines (1920s) in the far eastern corner of the Entre-Deux-Mers.
JM took over from his parents when they retired. Although deeply attached to the property, he struggled to carry on after losing his mother to cancer, convinced the cause was the chemicals used to treat the vineyards. Corinne helped him back on his feet and together they decided to experiment with biodynamic viticulture in the late 90s – a revelation for the couple.
Although Corinne had no previous background in viticulture or winemaking, she grew into the role, learning on the job to become the driving force behind the family domaine, and a world-renowned expert on biodynamics, consulting for properties in Bordeaux and around the globe.
Showcasing the positive impact of biodynamics on the soils, vines, and employees at Champ des Treilles, Jean-Michel and Corinne convinced Château Pontet-Canet's owner Alfred Tesseron to apply similar principles to his 80ha Pauillac property. A revolution in this ultra-conservative region and a risky gamble that raised many eyebrows back in 2004. It was then that Champ des Treilles became the unofficial test lab for Pontet-Canet – it proved to be instrumental in cementing the Grand Cru Classé as one of Médoc’s finest. JM left his full-time position as régisseur (technical director) at Pontet-Canet in 2020, aged 56yo he sought release from the pressure of the role to focus on Château Champ des Treilles alongside his wife.
Jean-Michel and Corinne made an impact on the region, quietly triggering a revolution with prestigious Châteaux (the likes of Latour, Margaux, Palmer, Climens to name a few) taking note and joining the ranks of Bordeaux's biodynamic estates.
Perhaps more inspiring of all has been the couple's insatiable desire to progress and learn through their long career. Every year (to this day) they challenge themselves with a new study case or project, experimenting in various aspects of viticulture and winemaking – focusing on the muscadelle variety, high-density plantations, aromatherapy applications, ageing in vessels of many different shapes and forms, etc.
Château du Champ des Treilles Wines
CDT BLANC 2021
Vin de France
34% Sémillon, 33% Muscadelle, 33% Sauvignon
34% Sémillon, 33% Muscadelle, 33% Sauvignon (12.5% alc.)
Corinne is fortunate to have 3ha of white varieties over 60yo. The vines are located atop a hill and the soil is full of flint. Fermentation rumbles on gently over a couple of months (malolactic fermentation is allowed) in a mix of cuve and cement eggs. A very elegant wine of real finesse, with a relatively high proportion of muscadelle playing its part, providing gentle, floral aromas and flavours. As it ages it takes on delicious apricot, honey, and hay notes.
CDT ROUGE 2020
Vin de France
50% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot
50% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot (14.5% alc.)
Corinne and Jean-Michel capture the essence of biodynamic fruits by delicate extraction (pigeage by hand, no remontage), and cuve-ageing in concrete vats – no oak whatsoever, "to avoid any 'maquillage', enhance purity, and preserve our forests!". From 2020 the couple has decided to make only one red cuvée (Petit Champ and Grand Vin cuvées are no more) since the different vineyards are now of age. The fruit is ripe, natural, with dark cherry, fruits of the forest, hints of spice, and dark chocolate. It has a lovely play on the palate with great freshness and very finely tuned, ripe tannins. A brilliant wine of astonishing value.
BORDEAUX 2018
Grand Vin
60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot
60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot (14.5% alc.)
Champ Des Treilles’ top wine comes from 60yo vines and has been aged for 16 months in 1yo barrels from Pontet-Canet before bottling without fining or filtration. Very luscious, ripe black fruits here with a touch of liquorice and vanilla, and fine, well-integrated tannins. For drinking now to 2028.