2014 Le Plus de la Fleur de Bouard

The 2014 Le Plus de La Fleur de Boüard is Hubert de Boüard's 100 % old-vine Merlot bottling from his estate in Lalande de Pomerol. Black cherry, plum, tobacco, licorice, menthol, spice and bittersweet chocolate are all pushed forward. This is an especially deep, powerful and super-extracted style, even by de Boüard's standards. The new oak tannins that the 2014 showed when it was in barrel have never fully integrated. I prefer the straight La Fleur de Boüard in 2014. Tasted two times.

Mocha, plums, black cherries and spices flesh out on the Le Plus de La Fleur de Boüard, 100% Merlot from the oldest vines on the property. Not surprisingly, the style is quite forward and ripe, but the new oak tannins suffocate the fruit and ultimately prove to be overpowering. It will be interesting to see what time brings, and in particular, if the Plus finds the balance that is lacking today.

The Le Plus de Bouard 2014 is strangely less expressive, tighter on the nose than the La Fleur de Bouard at this stage. This is stoic and introverted at the moment. The palate is full-bodied and dense with thick, chewy tannin, sinewy in style, but missing persistence on the finish. I actually prefer the sensuality expressed by the La Fleur de Bouard this year, which demonstrates more precision and energy.