Château Lafleur 2023, Pomerol
IN BOND
LOW STOCK
Delivery 2026
Appellation - Pomerol
Owner - Jacques and Sylvie Guinaudeau
56% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot
Second wine – Les Pensées de Lafleur
Annual production – 18,000 bottles
TASTING NOTES
The 2023 Lafleur is one of a small number of contenders for the title of wine of the vintage, and it's one 2023 that appears to surpass its 2022 counterpart. Wafting from the glass with aromas of blackberries, cherries and plums mingled with hints of licorice, violets and mint, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated core of lively, succulent, pure fruit framed by beautifully refined tannins, concluding with a long, fragrant finish. Its exquisite structure, intensity without weight and ineffable harmony mark it out as a great Lafleur, and one that will be worth a special effort to seek out. It's a blend of 56% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot.
98/100
William Kelley, Wine Advocate, April 2024
The 2023 Lafleur was picked from September 7 to 17 and is the usual blend of roughly equal parts Bouchets (Cabernet Franc) and Merlot. It has a very backward nose at first, only reluctantly opening. Tobacco and touches of shucked oyster shell surface with air. This is a more tertiary bouquet—completely different in style to the neighboring Pétrus. The palate is very linear and strict, like the nose, fresh with a tincture of dark chocolate and wrapped up with black fruit, black pepper and a touch of tea leaves toward the finish. The Bouchets is very expressive on the close, and it lingers beautifully. This is not a flamboyant Lafleur—it is very reflective of the growing season, perhaps a more cerebral wine that will be fascinating to observe as it ages. This is one of the few profound wines this vintage, yet it’s still a challenge. This is a wine for those who like cryptic crosswords and Pomerol.
97/99
Neal Martin, vinous.com, April 2024
The fruit in this is superb, with an al-dente character to the grapes that were perfectly ripe when picked. Surprising openness on the nose, showing blackberries, violet, caramel and cedar with just a hint of chocolate. Turns to tobacco and earth. Medium to full body with creamy tannins and a vivid finish. Pristine through to the end. 54% bouchet (cabernet franc) and 46% merlot.
98/99
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2024
A blend of 54% Bouchet (Cabernet Franc) and 46% Merlot, the 2023 Lafleur has a deep garnet-purple color. It slowly unfurls with very pure scents of wild blueberries and violets, opening out to notes of boysenberry preserves, licorice, rose bud tea, sassafras, and fragrant earth. The medium to full-bodied palate is deceptively ethereal, yet amazingly dense, with super-fine, pixilated tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and fragrant. Wow!
98/100
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, May 2024
Iris and violet flowers greet you on the opening beats, and it's a little more open at this early stage than is sometimes the case with this most profound of wines. Combines deep and creamy cassis and blueberry fruits with pumice-scraping tannins, vibrant and humming through the palate. There are, as ever, hidden depths here that show through the cocoa bean and espresso as it opens up, and this still needs a good 8 to 10 years before reaching its peak. 25% new oak for ageing.
98
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, April 2024
The 2023 Lafleur is a wine of elegance and restraint at this stage. Pretty aromatics open first, leading to an expressive core of red and purplish-toned fruit. Today, the 2023 is a wine of reserve more than anything else. It strikes me as a bit light relative to most recent years. 2033-2063
93/96
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, April 2024
