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Tasting notes
Ch. Lafleur is impressive in 2022, with a depth of dark fruit layered over with bright, raspberry tones. It’s silken yet weighty, with a richer profile and dark intensity that fills the mid-palate – but then a freshness brings it back, with savoury, smoky tones and cinnamon spice that fill the finish. Profound, but will need time. Blend: 51% Cabernet Franc, 49% Merlot
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Blackberries, boysenberries, black raspberries, chocolate, cherries, liqueur, and a cornucopia of floral aromas build with each swirl and sniff. The palate offers intensity, opulence, power, depth, and viscosity. The levels of depth and concentration are off the charts, leaving you with an unctuous, seamless finish that leaves the 60-second mark in the rearview mirror. Like all great Lafleur vintages, this has almost unlimited aging potential, yet the wine can be enjoyed after about 5 years of bottle age. The wine blends 51% Cabernet Franc and 49% Merlot. 14.5% ABV.
The 2022 Lafleur has turned out even better in bottle than I anticipated. Wafting from the glass with exotic aromas of mulberries, potpourri, iris, blood orange and incense, it's full-bodied, dense and layered, with a deep and multidimensional core of sweet, succulent fruit underpinned by velvety tannins, concluding with a long, expansive, rose-inflected finish. Élevage has brought a sense of harmony and classicism to the volume and richness that were already apparent en primeur, delivering a Lafleur for the ages.
A very tight yet energetic Lafleur showing brambleberries, black olives, leather, lavender and orange peel. It's very primary with perfectly ripe grape character, particularly cabernet franc. Medium- to full-bodied, this has solid density, powerful intensity and totally resolved tannins. Rather weightless. What a wine. The new 1950? This needs time, at least until after 2030, to reveal its true greatness.
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.