critic reviews
The 1995 Lafleur should be retitled "normal service is resumed" after the challenges of the previous four vintages. I have tasted this vintage several times and it never fails to impress. This has a multi-faceted bouquet with vibrant raspberry and strawberry fruit, Earl Grey and dried rose petal scents that seems to "deepen" with aeration. Superb delineation. The palate is medium-bodied but has real substance and gentle-but-insistent grip. As it opens, it develops subtle minty notes intertwined with fresh black truffle shavings. There is a lot going on in this superb Lafleur that is drinking beautifully after 30 years. Tasted from ex-château magnum at Kate & Kon's 40-Year vertical in Austria.
Took a moment to gather itself, then revved up and blew everyone away, just refusing to drop in quality even with two or three hours in the glass. So much depth and intensity, cassis and bilberry fruits, almost Left Bank in expression, layers of black truffle, bitter dark chocolate, charcoal and mocha, grip, tension, mint leaf and slate, and so much to love. Concentrated and still just getting going even at 27 years old, what a briliant example of this Pomerol icon. 50% new oak. The wine was being made by Jacques Guinaudeau at this point, but would not be fully owned by his side of the family until 2002.
Tasted at Justerini & Brooks agency tasting in London. So far this year, I have tasted the Chateau Lafleur 1995 twice and it is rapidly becoming my favorite wine of that decade, vying with the 1998. Unlike the 2000, this is now reaching its plateau of maturity after 20 years, though it will remain there for many years. It has a sensual bouquet with wonderful definition: blackberry, bacon fat, hot gravel scents abound and then after 30-40 minutes a sprig of wild mint. Mercurial and captivatingthat's a great Lafleur on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, though they are not quite as filigree and finely chiselled as the 2000. There is unquestionably immense depth here with tertiary black fruit, smoke and black truffle before fanning out in confident fashion on the finish. This is just a superb Lafleur with a long and prosperous life ahead. Tasted February 2015.