This amazing wine puts on a display of fireworks in terms of its aromatics, with a stunning nose of blue and black fruits, forest floor, flowers and earth. Dense purple, full-bodied, rich, moderately tannic and super-concentrated, this is a profound Pomerol that still needs another decade of cellaring. This is possibly the greatest Lafleur of the modern era, rivaling the 1982 and 2000. Forget it for another 5-10 years and drink it over the following quarter-century.
TWI
100pts
The Wine Independent
The 2005 Lafleur is a blend of 67% Merlot and 33% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-brick in color, it is youthful and wonderfully fragrant on the nose, with a good swirling awakening notions of roses and lilacs, fallen leaves, and tilled soil, leading to a profound core of kirsch, blueberry pie, and plum preserves. Full-bodied, tightly knit, muscular, and with impressive freshness, it has a firm and grainy texture, finishing long and fragrant. Enjoying this wine now will certainly not disappoint, but there is certainly a lot more to emerge over the next 10-20 years with patient cellaring. Drink it to 2060+. It has been partly owned by the Guinaudeau family since the mid-1980s and fully since 2002. Located on the Pomerol plateau, next to Petrus and La Fleur Petrus, the vineyard only covers about 11 acres, but with quite complex soils of gravel, sand and clay, planted to 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot.
Winery Notes
Rated 100 - Deep garnet-brick in color, it is youthful and wonderfully fragrant on the nose, with a good swirling awakening notions of roses and lilacs, fallen leaves, and tilled soil, leading to a profound core of kirsch, blueberry pie, and plum preserves. Full-bodied, tightly knit, muscular, and with impressive freshness, it has a firm and grainy texture, finishing long and fragrant. Enjoying this wine now will certainly not disappoint, but there is certainly a lot more to emerge over the next 10-20 years with patient cellaring. Drink it to 2060+ - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
Jacques Guinaudeau describes 2005 as the 'deckchair vintage': 'It was such a perfect harvest that we only had to let nature take its course.’ That said, this is an utterly brilliant and sublime Lafleur, and for me is one of the standout wines of this great vintage. Interestingly there is a higher percentage of Merlot, at 61%. It has a floral, liquorice nose with ink and cassis notes, while the palate is full, sweet and mouthfilling, with flavours of dark chocolate, plum skin, graphite and creamy, ripe black fruits. Exquisitely sculpted tannins are offset by bright, racy acidity, giving this wine a gorgeously seamless texture, balance and a mind boggling finish. Utterly graceful and rivetingly compelling.