Tasting Note:
The Guineaudeaus describe the 2016 growing season as 'a three step waltz'; the wet spring, the 'brutal' drought and the 'moderate' autumn. It makes it all sound so easy, but the reality was less serene. The 2016 range is amongst the very best we have ever tasted, but this came at a huge cost and much sacrifice. This is a masterful range, headed by the otherworldly Lafleur. Produced from 45% Merlot and 55% Cabernet Franc, we wondered whether this was the perfect Lafleur. Certainly, Julie and the Guinaudeau team poured their hearts and souls into making this wine. Utterly regal, this has such aromatic complexity, graceful notes of sandalwood, a plethora of fruits including: Morello cherry, Olallieberry, Alpine strawberry, crème de cassis and lingonberry. A kaleidoscopic flavour profile keeps teasing the palate with engaging fruits and deep minerals. This a masterful Lafleur, possibly the best we have ever tasted; certainly the most graceful and ethereal Lafleur of recent years with a precision and pitch that is faultless. Intense, charming and powerful, yet vital, bright and effortless, this is a quite staggering Lafleur. It is worth noting that we re-visited Lafleur after we had tasted the Champs Libres (not something one would normally recommend), and we found it to still be singing. There is such persistence and underlying power, allied with a low pH; a winning combination!