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.
Blueberries, blackcurrants, cherries, and floral notes with hints of liquorice, espresso, and dark chocolate. The palate is focused, structured, and tightly framed, with flawless tannins that are barely perceptible yet give immense poise. Vibrant yet restrained, this wine is built for the long haul, offering racehorse-like energy and streamlined texture. Initially electric, it becomes more seductive over time, revealing velvety chocolate, lilac, and a creamy, spiced backbone. A wine for contemplation, not for immediate drinking. Powerful, elegant, and profoundly structured.
The Grand Vin 2022 Château Lafleur checks in as 51% Bouschet (an older selection of Cabernet Franc) and 49% Merlot brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. It's a ripe, incredibly powerful Lafleur that has a rare mix of voluptuousness as well as a dense, structured core. Red and black currants, iron, bloody meats, truffly earth, and violet notes are just some of its nuances, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a broad, layered, expansive mouthfeel, tons of ripe, velvety tannins, and a great finish. It needs to be forgotten for a solid decade but will evolve for 30-40 years.
TWI
97pts
The Wine Independent
The blend is 49% Merlot and 51% Cabernet Franc, and the élevage was in 30% new oak, and 70% second-fill oak previously used at Grand Village. A real sense of harmony here on the nose, with desiccated raspberry, currants, bramble and blackcurrant fruits, with pencil shavings and violets, the Cabernet character very clearly expressed here. That same feelings of harmony on the start of the palate, supple and tightly integrated, with a silky upper layer of fruits, over tightly knit, firm and lightly powdery tannins. Very stylish, with finely integrated texture and modestly finessed tannins which together lead to a long, warm, confident and peppery finish. The alcohol is 14.5% on the label, the lowest among all the Guinaudeau reds, although it is probably slightly higher on analysis.
The 2022 Lafleur is one that caught me out when blind because it can often be misconstrued as lacking some fruit, when it has a proclivity to shut down after bottling, hence my advice never to broach it until it has 10 years on the clock. This has a ripe nose with redcurrant, cranberry and rose petal scents, black tea and light touches of hickory that emerge with time. The oak is well integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, quite peppery with an underlying bitter edge, quite sustained and again, overtly peppery on the finish. A demanding but quite profound Pomerol. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.