critic reviews
The 2014 Lafleur is bright and lively on the nose with expressive red berries, briary and black truffle scents springing from the glass. This displays a little more energy than its 2015 counterpart. The palate has fine tension and a keen line of acidity, bright and energetic even if it does not possess the complexity nor the substance of other vintages. It is thus likely to drink earlier, though it still requires another five or six years. Tasted from ex-château magnum at Kate & Kon's 40-Year vertical in Austria.
Deep garnet-brick in color, the 2014 Lafleur needs a lot of swirling to coax out subtle scents of forest floor, menthol, and baked cherries, with emerging suggestions of iron ore, incense, and potpourri. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with seductive red and black berry preserves layers, framed by firm, rounded tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and minerally.
Concentrated ruby in colour at the 10 year mark, and wow this is good, just mouth-filling black truffle, bilberry, olive tapendade, Cabernet Franc dominant in its floral violet and raspberry leaf curls, standing head and shoulders above most of the Pomerols in the vintage, lord of all it surveys. Has a sense of drama and restraint, then releases a saline juicy finish.
The 2014 Lafleur has a lucid hue. The bouquet bides its time, gradually unfolding with scents of raspberry coulis, blackberry, black truffle and just a faint hint of dark chocolate, all beautifully defined and yet you know it is keeping something in reserve. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin. There is that backbone, which of course you expect with this Pomerol, but also a sense of refinement and poise, a seam of spiciness that develops with time in the glass that prolongs the finish. No, it is not the greatest Lafleur that I have tasted. It's just a really great Pomerol that will give many years of pleasure.