2014 | Chateau Lafleur | Chateau les Pensees de Lafleur

A stunning rich purple. The nose is spicy, cedar and black pepper with an obvious Cabernet Franc edge. The attack is intense, with black olives, tapenade, raspberry leaf, bristling with intent. There is a juicy tension to the structure that creates a sense of drama. It holds itself back for a moment, and then lets go with a striking clarity of fruit.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2014 Lafleur has a lucid hue. The bouquet bides its time, gradually unfolding with scents of raspberry coulis, blackberry, black truffle and just a faint hint of dark chocolate, all beautifully defined and yet you know it is keeping something in reserve. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin. There is that backbone, which of course you expect with this Pomerol, but also a sense of refinement and poise, a seam of spiciness that develops with time in the glass that prolongs the finish. No, it is not the greatest Lafleur that I have tasted. It's just a really great Pomerol that will give many years of pleasure.

• James Suckling: That is fantastic on the nose. OMG! Exuberant aromas of lavender, tobacco, cigar box, violets and slice plums. Medium to full body. It just builds on the palate and goes on forever. Speechless. Such finesse and beauty. Just a hint of spices. What a glorious, hyper-classic wine. Coup de foudre!

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.

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