2017 Lafleur

One of the wines of the vintage is the 2017 Lafleur, which comes from a vintage compared to 2011 by owner Baptiste Guinaudeau. Not harvested until the 12th of October (which is very late), it offers a heavenly bouquet of black raspberries, exotic flowers, and crushed rocks. Possessing full-bodied richness, shocking mid-palate depth and concentration (especially in the vintage), ripe tannin, and a big finish, it’s a gem of a wine that will need only short-term cellaring yet age beautifully.

The more gravelly soils of Lafleur have responded beautifully this year, expressing a real creaminess and density to the black fruits. There's a clear Cabernet Franc edge to the nose and to the attack on the palate, with a corresponding austerity and tightness to the tannins and a slightly chewy finish. There's a sense of momentum as the acidity rises through the palate, and it certainly has some of the power and sense of confident elegance of the 2016 vintage here. They avoided most of the frost damage here, and so were able to harvest the Merlots before the rain, between 8-12 September, and waited until 28-29 September for the Cabernets.

Very dark. Darkly fragrant. Incredibly pure cassis nose and just a touch of graphite/mineral dustiness. Super-elegant fine tannins, more dark charm than Les Pensées. Paper-fine texture slides across the palate in delicate persistence. Layers of paper giving embryonic complexity. Gorgeous. Utterly refined. Incredibly long. (JH)