Château Lafleur, Pomerol, 2012

Name: Château Lafleur, Pomerol
Brand: Château Lafleur
Price: 1744.76 GBP

Available Vintages

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justerini & brooks tasting note

Baptiste Guinadeau described 2012 as an ‘exciting, interesting vintage, a vintage of three parts'. A wet spring and early summer which 'replenished and liberated' the soils after three years of drought. There was a risk of mildew, so lots of work was required in the vineyard, but they knew that the 'balance of the vintage could change quickly', and it did. The summer was dry and hot with 46 days without rain; this really helped maturity. The weather changed again in October and became cold and wet for the harvest. Produced from 46% Merlot harvested in one day on the 23rd of September and 54% of Cabernet Franc picked on the 6th of October. The 2012 Lafleur is much less brooding than previous years and possesses a bit more joie de vivre. Complex, sumptuous, decadent bouquet of flowers, crème de mûre, vanilla, pepper, spiced cassis interspersed with bright red berry fruit. The fruit profile on the palate is darker than the Pensees and there is still the serious, intellectual Lafleur character. There is sumptuous, velvety fruit all the way to the long, smoky, dark chocolate finish. Beautiful balance.

critic reviews

95/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2012 Lafleur continues to show well in bottle. Contrasted directly against the 2011, this has just a notch more brightness and energy with blackberry and light iodine scents, just a touch of black truffle and that hint of lavender that only emerges with time in the glass. The palate is refined and focused with insistent grip, plenty of cedar and tobacco intertwined with the black fruit and a persistent saline finish that expresses more Cabernet Franc than Merlot. Wonderful. Tasted from ex-château magnum at Kate & Kon's 40-Year vertical in Austria.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2065

date of review 09/2025

96/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2012 Lafleur is medium to deep garnet colored. It features profound scents of dried cherries, prunes, and wild thyme plus underlying suggestions of camphor, iron ore, and cumin seed. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich and multi-layered, supported by rounded tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with an herbal lift.

DRINKING WINDOW 2022 - 2042

date of review 02/2023

94/100Neal Martin,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Tasted blind at the Southwold 2012 tasting, the 2012 Lafleur has a very well-defined bouquet that is complex and laden with blackberry, granite, cedar and veins of graphite, all with razor-like precision. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation and lovely poise. There are plenty of graphite-infused black fruit interwoven into this Pomerol with a cheeky dab of spiciness on the finish that needs to manifest just a little more precision in order that it attains full potential. As usual, Baptiste, Julie and Jacques Guinaudeau have conjured a serious Lafleur destined for long-term ageing. Tasted January 2016.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2045

date of review 10/2016