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Tasting Notes
This is a young wine that just kicks off at the end with fantastic depth of fruit and intensity. Full-bodied, yet very tight and closed at first. Compact and powerful. Incredible power and structure. Mar 2017, www.jamessuckling.com
Critic Scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
55% Cabernet Franc picked 11 October, 45% Merlot picked 24 and 30 September. Deep crimson. Deeper and more concentrated than Pensées but less immediately seductive on the nose therefore. Very rich and sweet on the palate. Very rich and ripe. Velvety texture. Nervy too. Easy to see the Cabernet Franc here. Massive fruit over the tannins. Liquorice. Some violets and exotic notes. Really quite serious. Dense and a wine to have a conversation with. Minerally finish. Apr 2017, www.jancisrobinson.com, Drink: 2028-2045
There is not much to day about the 2016 Lafleur except that it is stunning. A Pomerol of extraordinary purity and finesse, the 2016 simply has it all. Cabernet Franc-inflected flavors pulse with energy in a vivid, sculpted wine that dazzles. Even with all of its aromatic and flavor explosiveness, the 2016 remains supremely graceful. Hints of rose petal, sweet herb and mint add the final shades of nuance. Readers will have to be patient with the 2016, but it is a jewel of a wine. Proprietor Baptiste Guinaudeau is among the growers who cited the small size of the berries, about 30% smaller than normal here, as one of the characteristics of the vintage. Apr 2017, www.vinous.com
The 2016 Lafleur is a blend of 45% Merlot and 55% Cabernet Franc picked 24-30 September and 11 October, matured in one-third new oak and around 14.3% alcohol. It has a very backward bouquet that demanded a lot of coaxing from the glass. Here there are introspective black fruit, a touch of shucked oyster shell and Japanese nori, opening reluctantly with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a saline entry, spicier than the 2015 Lafleur when I tasted it from barrel last year, edgy and minerally with a touch of truffle towards the persistent finish. This is a cerebral and yet vivacious Lafleur at this prenatal stage, a great Pomerol that will require a decade in bottle. Baptiste Guinaudeau appeared quietly confident about this latest vintage and he has every right to be. Do afford it plenty of cellaring, though, as it's not a 2016 to appease those without patience. Apr 2017, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2026-2060
About the producer
The Société Civile du Ch. Lafleur is the collective name for the Guinaudeau family’s wines and estates. These are some of the Right Bank’s most famous wines, including Ch. Lafleur and Les Pensées in Pomerol, along with Les Perrières, Les Champs Libres and Ch. Grand Village in Fronsac.