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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 21 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Tao on 4/13/2023 & rated 95 points: Once you uncork the wine, the perfumy aroma permeates the air, red fruits, sweet minerals, a touch of the mahogany chest, flowery bouquets, alluring! Translucent ruby red in colour! The palate is rich and silky, abundance of red fruits, and a satisfying supple finish! Delicious and very well made! (947 views) | | | Tasted by DaleW on 12/29/2021: Ripe black plum, hint of coffee, low acid, a bit of tannin,.Good for vintage . B (1758 views) | | | Tasted by DaleW on 9/21/2021: This was my blind wine. First guesses were 90s Pomerol, but group flailed a bit at chateau (because no one expects that I own any Lafleur). John did guess Pensees, and then Lafleur when I said close. They worked their way through most vintages of the 90s before getting 1997 (like the Spanish Inquisition, nobody expects 1997 Bordeaux). This has rounded out and filled out nicely- somewhat ripe plush texture, black plum and mocha, the finish is the clue not from a great vintage. But quite enjoyable. B+ (1859 views) | | | Tasted by Rhone Rick on 2/26/2017 & rated 93 points: Aged wood and faded red fruit with a perfectly smooth and balanced expression on the palette. Really quite enjoyable. (5407 views) | | | Tasted by DrZett on 11/6/2016 & rated 91 points: What to drink before we die... (Restaurant Prinzinger, Düsseldorf (Germany)): Soft tannins and a nice structure and acidity. The finish is quite short. Drink now or until 2020. (6045 views) | | | Tasted by PeterH on 12/18/2015 & rated 93 points: Really good juice, ready to drink but no rush. Lost to a 1997 Togni (6185 views) | | | Tasted by PeterH on 12/5/2014 & rated 94 points: Excellent bottle of Pomerol and shocking that this was made in the 1997 vintage. Just shows how producer can beat vineyard or vintage. Drink now or hold for a decade or more. (6311 views) | | | Tasted by Yagil on 9/23/2013 & rated 90 points: Iconic wine soiree, 1st quartet round, 4th meeting (at Yagil's): -- double decanted for sediment removal 4 hours before tasting --
blind tasting: classic left bank aroma of a quality wine. not a typical Pomerol at first. med harmony, lacks structure on the palate. overall a good but not excellent wine from a difficult vintage. (7345 views) | | | Tasted by Luis N on 9/15/2013: Excelent. (4116 views) | | | Tasted by DaleW on 1/28/2013: OK, so this isn't a great Lafleur, but one of the best '97s I've tasted. Medium to full bodied, tannins resolving, good length, spice and red fruits. B+ (4333 views) | | | Tasted by PeterH on 6/17/2011 & rated 94 points: Wow. Delicious and ready to go (4762 views) | | | Tasted by guile on 12/24/2010 & rated 92 points: No complaints with this bottle. Gobs of fruit left from a difficult year. I've always believed the key to off vintages is *when* to drink them rather than if. The inital nose was raspberry and cherry liqueur. Dark reddish-purple in color with no bricking whatsoever. Medium to full bodied in weight, I thoroughly enjoyed this. The aromatics kept getting better over time and the palate showed leather, cassis, plum and blackberry. Our tool of a waiter broke the cork saying it was dry.. yea whatever. (4598 views) | | | Tasted by Jdog on 8/6/2008 & rated 94 points: (Dinner with d-rob). Decanted for one hour and consumed over three hours. Wow! a 100+ point nose. On the attack, it's all black raspberries, kirsch and prunes with beautiful, sweet tanin. This would be a profound wine, except, as one would expect from the vintage, it lacks the punch and the fruit on the mid palate and finish to make it great. Notwithstanding those faults, this is an incredibly enjoyably, integrated, balanced and delightful wine. Changed very little over the course of the night, until the third hour, when it started to decline slightly and become acidic. Certainly drinking well know and this has the stuffing to go another 10 years, but I don't think it will improve from here. Enjoy! (4018 views) | | | Tasted by balassis on 11/28/2007 & rated 92 points: Deep plumy ruby color.
Mute nose at the beginning, but after some aeration the wine reveals aromas of earth, cedar, currants and wet wood.
For a difficult vintage, it is realy a chewy tannic monster.
Full-bodied with flavors of plums, chocolate, currants and minerals.
The finish lasts over 50 sec.
Be patient with this wine. Needs more and more years to became excellent. (4245 views) | | | Tasted by Collector1855 on 3/12/2007 & rated 84 points: Pétrus vs. Le Pin - Matchplay 1996-2002 - with pirates (Fribourg): Tasted blind. Nose dominated by oak, some dark fruits with green peppers. On the palate quite lean with dominating oak (3575 views) | | | Tasted by sadiebear on 11/26/2006 & rated 89 points: I would certainly drink this wine sooner than later...(if you have any) (4112 views) | | | Tasted by DaleW on 3/24/2006 & rated 90 points: Decanted at 10 AM. Brutally tannic at that point. I try not to join in the internet winegeek sport of Spec bashing, but I recall the mailer for the offering of this wine said "A solid wine. Good dried cherry and berry aromas follow through to a medium-bodied palate, with light tannins and a fruity finish. (89) – The Wine Spectator. "
WTF? If these are light tannins I'm Tommy Tune. After 7 hours in decanter and 3 back in bottle, this is still a rather burly Right Banker (I think I would have guessed St. Em rather than Pomerol if blind). Rather deep dark fruits, with notes of coffee and cigarbox.
Like the Barton, there's enough tannin to make it better with meat or cheese. Best glass is the last one, as I'm doing dishes. The rare 1997 I think could use more cellar time. This doesn't have the opulence or lushness of a better vintage, but a very credible effort for '97 (4246 views) | | | Tasted by jrufusj on 6/15/2005: Offline in Dobbs Ferry (Dale's House): If I have trouble with more mature Bordeaux, then I am hopeless with younger, more tannic ones. This one still has a darkish red robe of relative youth in the glass. Despite its visual youth, the nose is expressive with spice and rich, dark berry fruit, along with some leafy interest. Palate is quite tannic, showing astringency and a touch of dark fruit, even though this is 1997 and even though this was decanted in the morning. This is the wine I go back to just before I catch my train to the city and it has opened up on the palate some. It’s still a little rough, but is showing rounder dark fruit and a little chocolate richness, just a hint of round Pomerol character. Voluptuous? Not yet. Maybe never. But I really liked the nose and the palate has enough fruit to make this worth waiting on for a few more years. (In his notes, Dale commented on the difference between this tannic showing and the WS note that called it a wine with “light tannins”. After I finished this note, I went searching for others and all of them indicated resolved tannins and easy drinking. Every bottle is different, ne c’est pas?) (5327 views) | | | Tasted by Hammer on 11/10/2004 & rated 90 points: Good wine from a difficult vintage. This medium bodied wine offers up copious amount of cossis, roasted meat and dried herbs on the nose. In the palate, it's easy on the mouth with integrated tannins. It's ready to drink now and will be good for another 10 years. (5225 views) |
| 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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