2018 | Chateau Lafleur | Les Perrieres (Half Bottle)

Deep garnet-purple in color, it prances out of the glass with wonderfully gregarious notes of kirsch, Black Forest cake and wild blueberries, followed by hints of menthol, rose hip tea and underbrush. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with energy-charged red and black fruit layers, supported by exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and fragrant.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: This is the first vintage of this wine under its new name, and there's an interesting story behind the project. The Guinaudeau family had the vision to plant a new vineyard—in the hamlet of Meyney, on the southwest crest of the limestone plateau of Fronsac—to selected vine cuttings from their Lafleur vineyard in Pomerol, most notably, their prized "Bouchet" vines, which is the traditional name for Cabernet Franc in this area. For the first nine harvests in production, the wines were available under the "Acte" numbers. Now that the vineyard and the family's understanding of it have reached maturity, this new label is born.

• Jeb Dunnuck: Formerly releases as the Act # series, the 2018 Les Perrieres De Lafleur gets its own name in 2018 as the team at Lafleur felt it finally met their expectations. Translating to the “stones of Lafleur,” the vineyard for this wine, which is mostly limestone, was planted from a massal selection from the Lafleur vineyard in Pomerol starting in 2005 and 2006. The first “Act” release was in 2009, and today this is a brilliant wine as well as one of the finest Fronsacs out there. Its ruby/purple color is followed by a beautiful bouquet of crème de cassis, kirsch liqueur, white flowers, and earthy minerality. Medium to full-bodied, incredibly floral and elegant on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins, it’s going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15+. If you find a bottle of this, you should buy it.

Producer Information

Château Lafleur is a tiny (4.5ha, 11 acres) family-run property in the Pomerol appellation on Bordeaux's Right Bank. Its grand vin of the same name is known for its concentration, creamy texture, intense black fruits and spicy character. Famous US wine critic Robert Parker has called it "one of the most distinctive, most exotic, and greatest wines – not only in Pomerol, but in the world". The wine is also powerfully structured and needs more cellaring than most wines in the appellation – in the best vintages it can last half a century. Thanks in part to regular praise from Parker, who first visited in 1975, it is one of the most sought-after and highest priced wines in the world. The vineyard sits on deep layers of gravel on the edge of the Pomerol plateau, next to the La Fleur-Pétrus estate – another of the region's blue-chip wineries. The Lafleur vineyard is planted 50/50 between Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with an unusually high proportion of the latter which contributes greatly to the wine's capacity (and need) for ageing. Yields are very low even by the standards of Pomerol, and only around 1000 cases (9000 liters) are made each year, and typically up to 400 of these may be released as Pensées de Lafleur. This label was created for the poor 1987 vintage when no grand vin was released, though now focuses on specific plots and is not regarded by the producers as a second wine. In the tiny farmhouse cellar, grapes for Lafleur are fermented in small cement vats and undergo malolactic fermentation in barrel. The wine is aged for around 15 months in French oak barrels, of which around 50 are new oak. Pensées de Lafleur is vinified in temperature controlled stainless steel and sees a lower proportion of new oak when maturing. Lafleur was founded in 1872 when Henri Greloud, the owner of Château Le Gay, bought the plot. It remains in the family and is now run his great, great grandchildren Jacques and Sylvie Guinaudeau.

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