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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 94 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 28 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by joshabramson on 12/25/2023 & rated 95 points: Beautiful aromatics! The acidity overpowers the fruit a bit at this stage, but this was super elegant and fresh. (577 views) | | | Tasted by ginfizz on 4/3/2022 & rated 94 points: Probably worth more points, but a perfect aged Pomerol for the duck course. Evolved and showed best after an hour and a half. Plum, bit of funk, hints of sweet spice and red fruits. Balanced and great length. Not "old world" Lafleur but solid. (1792 views) | | | Tasted by cch1966 on 1/29/2022 & rated 96 points: Notes of black berries, licorice, pepper and herbs. Tannins still present. Elegant and complex wine. Developed in the glass. Long fantastic finish. (1806 views) | | | Tasted by ricknat1 on 2/21/2020 flawed bottle: Flawed (3498 views) | | | Tasted by tinybubbles on 2/13/2019 & rated 94 points: Still dense and tightly wound, this will be great with time. An hour of air time helped, but really too young to be consumed now. 94+ (3896 views) | | | Tasted by jviz on 12/26/2018 & rated 95 points: wow nose of cherry, eucalyptus and tobacco. Restrained and elegant, tannins still quite present, still very much alive. No issues to open or wait. What a treat to taste (3925 views) | | | Tasted by JJYoyo on 7/22/2018 & rated 94 points: A massive wine with loads of tannins that are still quite astringent. Heady nose of cherry compote, blackberry, graphite, coffee, some green stalkiness. Taste also had plum and vanilla. Subdued fruit notes after about 1/2 hour of air but grew steadily more expressive as time wore on. I think the fruit is going to last until tannins resolved - but that is years away. Will try another in about a decade. Potential for greatness, even if it seems a little muddy right now. If I am right I will be handing out higher scores than 94.
Update: had more after 24 hrs of air. Still titanically structured. Not much evolution in taste apart from the sweet fruit compote notes turning into kirsch. An indestructible wine.
Score. 94. Relative to expectations: 0 (3488 views) | | | Tasted by lepetitchateau on 7/29/2017 & rated 93 points: Touch musty on the nose, but I love the chocolate element on the nose, and which carries on to the palate. Smooth and graceful, this is gorgeous but not as complex 1989 or 2001 Château Lafleur. (3322 views) | | | Tasted by Lord Rayas on 1/15/2017 & rated 94 points: Julian's MNSC (The Chin's): decanted for a couple of hours. more backwards and restrained than other vintages despite some exotic notes on the nose. (3666 views) | | | Tasted by Vinum Deorum on 8/18/2016 & rated 95 points: Clearly the best 86 I have tasted so far in Pomerol. A little backward at first, it quickly turned out to be profound, balanced and long, with aromas of violet, blackcurrant, moccha, a bit of earthiness, melted tanins, and a nice balance. The fruit seems to be slightly underipe, but the wine is nevertheless very impressive, deep, long and elegant in a quite old-fashionned and a bit severe style, which I enjoyed very much on this occasion. It feels like this can age for a further 15 to 20 years. Very impressive stuff. (3417 views) | | | Tasted by johnh1001 on 6/27/2014 & rated 93 points: Dark fruit, roasted coffee bean, hint of violet. Very nice but a bit chunky on the finish. (5272 views) | | | Tasted by Ericsson on 4/18/2014 & rated 95 points: Bouteille en parfaite condition, niveau juste au-dessus de base neck.
Le bouchon lui était en mauvais état, bords collants et intérieur poussiéreux jusqu'à la moitié, ce qui m'a fait craindre que la qualité du vin pourrait être altérée... Heureusement il n'en fût rien!
J'ai dû filtrer le vin dans le décanteur où il est resté pendant les 4 heures qu' a duré la dégustation.
Couleur prune mate, avec bords tirant sur l'orangé. Nez réticent durant les 10 premières minutes puis s'ouvrant sur des notes de violettes, de cassis, de fleurs, puis virant au pain d'épices, au menthol, au poivron, à la terre.
En bouche, le vin est de constitution moyenne, très structuré, avec beaucoup de finesse et de précision de goût. Il finit sur une longueur moyenne, marquée par une légère astringence, seul bémol de ce vin magnifique. À maturité. (4979 views) | | | Tasted by slmral on 1/9/2014 & rated 91 points: First Thursday Main Group - Merlots of the World: My 8th, but the groups 3rd, out of 9 (5627 views) | | | Tasted by Lord Rayas on 9/13/2013 & rated 92 points: Long lunch with KH, Gary, Eric, RT (The Press Room): not the most alluring of vintages for lafleur, but still has its trademark kirsch and sweetness. (5709 views) | | | Tasted by CamWheeler on 11/16/2012 & rated 93 points: Tobacco, pencil shavings and earth with some pretty fruit coming through after time. Complexity, balance and resolve on the palate. Delicious and drinking really well now. (5464 views) | | | Tasted by fizz on 11/3/2012 & rated 94 points: Level was at the base of the neck. Decanted for 6 hours. The cork was soaked through completely. Deep garnet colour. Aromas of sweet black fruits and pencil shavings. That sweetness follows on to the palate. On it's own, the palate still showed those trademark tannins that give a slight puckering sensation to the finish. With food, the tannins are less pronounced and the wine shows an elegance and power with a punchy finish. I quite liked this. (3599 views) | | | Tasted by Lord Rayas on 3/9/2012 & rated 93 points: immediately recognizable Lafleur nose - perhaps not as explosive as other vintages. tannins still noticeable but not sure if it will get better. good balance overall. (4023 views) | | | Tasted by winecowboy on 11/19/2011 & rated 90 points: Garnet. Slightly astringent with a reserved hint of black fruits. Powerful but has a dry finish. Maybe it needs more time to shed the harsh tannins. (4012 views) | | | Tasted by Lord Rayas on 9/16/2011 & rated 92 points: unmistakable sweet nose of kirsch and jammy cherries. pretty backward on the palate with tannins becoming a bit overpowering. (3725 views) | | | Tasted by jhngo on 9/15/2011 & rated 95 points: Beautiful wine expansive on palate youthful fruit nice cool mouth feel freshness (3262 views) | | | Tasted by markellen.foodies@gmail.com on 10/17/2009 & rated 94 points: Dinner at Chez Ehrenreich, Miami, FL: Chez Ehrenreich. David poured it vs 95 Muga Reserva, and 97 Rochioli West Block PN. Restrained nose, much more youthful than the decade younger Muga. Classic Bordeaux finish with cedar, cassis that lingers. This wine will outlive we seniors. I really liked it, and think it will be incredible in 10+ more years. (4442 views) | | | Tasted by Rosengoo on 10/22/2008: Tasted at the Vintages auction gala tasting. This was my number two WOTN. It had a great nose that had so much honey in it. The colour was almost brown and it was very smooth to drink. A great wine. (3956 views) | | | Tasted by winefool on 6/20/2006 & rated 92 points: Wineflock - Pre-1990 First Growth Bordeaux Tasting (onesixtyblue): Ruby red color. tight red fruit aroma with spicy licorice with vanilla hints. big slightly candied black fruit on the palate. (5250 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 6/20/2006 & rated 92 points: Older Bordeaux - First Growth and Others (onesixty blue - Chicago IL): Aromas of black fruit, dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee and licorice. Lots of oak and lots of ripe fruit on palate. Very big, forward and direct. (3754 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château Lafleur Producer websiteRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanLibournais Libournais (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) - Read more about St. Emilion and its wines - Read more about Pomerol and its wines
Saint Emilion Grat Classified Growth, Classified Growths, Grands Crus Classes, GCC
In 1954, while the "Graves" growths had just published their own classification, the wine syndicate of Saint-Emilion, composed by wine growers, brokers and wine traders with the approval of the INAO - Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (A.O.C), decided to work on a classification for the wines of Saint Emilion. Initially, four grades were defined. These were reduced to two - First Great Classified Growth (A and B) and Great Classified Growth - in 1984.
As of Medoc's 1855 historical grading, the Saint-Emilion Great Classified Growth classification is not only based on qualitative criteria by tasting the wines on a ten years period previous to the assessment, but also on commercial considerations such as:
- sales price levels
- national and international commercial distribution
- the estate's reputation on the market
Properties who don't manage to join the club of about sixty Classified Growths are given the denomination of Great Growth ("Grand Cru"), while the remaining wineries of the A.O.C are simply reported as "Saint-Emilion". It is to be noted that the owners must officially apply to appear in the official classification. Thus for example the famous Chateau Tertre-Roteboeuf, whose quality and reputation would easily justify to be listed among the First Great Classified Growths, does not appear here by the will of its owner, François Mitjaville.
The Saint-Emilion Great Growth classification was revised in 1969, 1985, 1996 and 2006. The only two guaranteed vintage (A.O.C) who can apply to the classification are the "Saint-Emilion Grand Cru" and "Saint-Emilion" areas.
By grading 61 properties, the 2006 revision confirmed many growths from the former classification, but also caused a number of surprises and a few inevitable disappointments. Many observers thought that the impressive progression of Perse's Chateau Pavie since 1998 would be rewarded by an upgrade into the First Great Classified Growths (A) category, but finally such was not the case.
Among the estates promoted to the First Great Classified Growths B category are Chateau Troplong-Mondot and Pavie-Macquin, whose efforts made since the Nineties fully justify their new grade. It should be noted that no First Great Classified Growth was relegated to the lower Great Classified Growth class.
Promoted growths from the status of Great Growth ("Grand Cru") to Great Classified Growth ("Grand Cru Classe") are: Chateaux Bellefont-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur Cardinale, Grand Corbin, Grand Corbin-Despagne and Monbousquet.
The demoted growths from the status of Great Classified Growth to Great Growth are: Chateaux Bellevue, Cadet Bon, Faurie de Souchard, Guadet Saint-Julien, La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Belivier), La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Moueix), Lamarzelle, Petite Faurie de Soutard, Tertre Daugay, Villemaurine and Yon-Figeac. If the recent samples of some of the above mentioned properties may justify their current downgrade, there are great chances that estates like Bellevue, Tertre Daugay or Yon-Figeac will be upgraded to their previous rankings by the next revision in 2016 as the progresses noted after 2000, but not entering in the range of vintages (1993 - 2002) appointed for the criteria of selection for the 2006 classification, are noticable.
The two following estates have completely disappeared from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classification: Curé-Bon-la-Madeleine (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Canon) and La Clusière (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Pavie).
Finally, no estate considered as "garagiste" has integrated the classification. Valandraud, Mondotte, Le Dome, Bellevue-Mondotte or Magrez-Fombrauge have, for the least, the potential to be ranked as Great Classified Growths. In sight of the very fine quality reached by the above mentioned estates in recent vintages as well as all the innovative wine making methods used by the "garagistes", it remains to be seen whether the authorities will dare to cross the line in 2016..?Pomerol Wikipedia | French wine guide - Read about Pomerol |
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