Château Lafleur, Pomerol, 2017

Name: Château Lafleur, Pomerol
Brand: Château Lafleur
Price: 1901.95 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

Last year Lafleur was our clear wine of the vintage. The 2017 is not quite so clear cut, but it is without doubt another immense effort from the Guinaudeau team. At the time of the primeur tastings, the Pensees was more expressive and at first impressions more impressive, but with coaxing and reflection this reveals its class. Produced from 53% Cabernet Franc and 47% Merlot this is a much more introspective, reserved style. The aromatic profile is regal with pure loganberry, raspberry and detailed açaí and alpine strawberry. The palate is equally refined with delightful boysenberry and seductive crème de cassis interspersed with notes of sandalwood, spice and Morello cherry. It is a sensational wine, but whereas the 2016 was kaleidoscopic at this stage, this is reticent and quite discrete. Texturally it's complete with layers of impressive fruit, stony minerals, fine boned tannins coated in luxurious fruit. This has real precision and poise; we fully expect this muscular Lafleur to develop into something truly special.

critic reviews

97/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2017 Lafleur is a stupendous wine for the vintage. It has retained a deep, almost opaque hue. The bouquet is intense for the vintage with copious black fruit intermixed with black olive and sea spray scents. There is an openness about this Pomerol that I appreciate. The palate is medium-bodied with black fruit and mulberry, the texture a little softer than previous bottles which lends a little more sensuality. I adore the untrammelled marine/estuarine influence on the finish, which is moderate rather than exceptionally long with insistent grip. Superb, but afford it another two or three years. Tasted from ex-château magnum at Kate & Kon's 40-Year vertical in Austria.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2055

date of review 09/2025

98/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

Lafleur 2017 is a blend of 51% Merlot and 49% Cabernet Franc and has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It is very closed to begin with, slowly unfurling to reveal the most gorgeous floral notes of roses, lavender, star anise, and charcuterie with a waft of crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate knocks your socks off with the most beautiful, slow-releasing layers in the mouth, framed by super-plush tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with incredible length and spiciness.

DRINKING WINDOW 2024 - 2047

date of review 12/2022

98+/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Composed of 52% Cabernet Franc and 48% Merlot, the 2017 Lafleur displays a deep garnet-purple color. It slowly unfurls in the glass to reveal a profound nose of plum preserves, mulberries, boysenberries and licorice with nuances of grilled meats, black truffles, cast-iron pan and crushed rocks plus fragrant wafts of cinnamon stick and violets. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is charged with fantastically energetic black and blue fruits, framed by super-ripe, finely grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epic length. At this stage of the game, qualitatively the 2017 Lafleur is one to two ticks short of where the 2015 and 2016 vintages are. This said, I'm anticipating there are a lot of latent nuances here waiting to emerge, snuggly filling this substantial structure over the next decade. It should be quite delicious in 6-8 years, but I'd give it 10-15 at least for maximum impact.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2065

date of review 03/2020