Château Lafleur, Pomerol, 2011

Name: Château Lafleur, Pomerol
Brand: Château Lafleur
Price: 1865.16 GBP

Available Vintages

all 1999 2003 2004 2005 2006 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Baptiste Guinaudeau referred to 2011 as an 'outsiders vintage... and not too far away from 2009 and 2010'. He went to on to explain that 'gentle winemaking was very important as the danger was to be too dry'. After the drought, berries were minute at time of harvest, so the ratio of skins to juice was high, giving the potential for extraordinary colours and massive tannins. Although there were well documented rains in August, this didn't cause any dilution or rot issues. Yields were similar to 2010, with 33hl/ha achieved. Malos were quite long, only finishing in January. The final blend is made from 47% Merlot harvested between the 31st of August and the 12th of September and 53% Cabernet Franc picked on the 22nd and 23rd of September; the 2011 Lafleur is a splendid achievement. Typically brooding, masculine and serious, this is a powerful, complex Pomerol that will require patience. There is masses of substance here and a wonderful texture too. Intense, intellectual, dense and vivid, yet this has a sweetness and a charm to its dark fruit core that makes it more accessible and friendly than most Lafleurs at this stage. A wonderful wine.

critic reviews

93/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2011 Lafleur was just pipped by the 2012. It has retained that Left Bank allure on the nose with graphite and tobacco infusing the black fruit, which does not have quite the brightness nor energy of the following vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, a little drier and more austere than the 2012, though it coheres wonderfully in the glass and lingers long in the mouth. This is a no-frills Lafleur with a conservative streak that you have to accept. Tasted from ex-château magnum at Kate & Kon's 40-Year vertical in Austria.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2055

date of review 09/2025

92-94/100Robert Parker,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

This tiny jewel of a property has produced a beautifully rich 2011 Lafleur from a blend of 53% Cabernet Franc and 47% Merlot. The Merlot was picked between August 31 and September 12, and the Cabernet Franc between September 22-23. The 2011 reveals a floral-scented bouquet with notions of kirsch, licorice and black raspberries. It is medium to full-bodied with terrific fruit purity, good minerality and slightly more acidity and freshness than are found in such ripe vintages as 2009 and 2010. At present, the Guinandeau family, the owners, are using between 50-60% new oak in an attempt to emphasize their great terroir and the extraordinary fruit quality they achieve from both the old vine Cabernet Franc and Merlot. This cuvee possesses some serious tannin and will undoubtedly need 5-6 years of cellaring after its release, but it should be one of the longer-lived wines of the vintage, lasting 25+ years.

DRINKING WINDOW 2017 - 2042

date of review 04/2012