Château Lafleur, Pomerol, 2016
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!
critic reviews
The 2016 Lafleur is consistent with my previous notes. Brilliant delineation and focus on the nose, which is more introspective at first, opening with black plum, melted tar and Montecristo scents. The palate has real presence and heft, a bit square-jawed compared to the Petrus, yet the length is awesome. This will require serious patience. Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s 10-Year-On tasting in London.
Of the three 'Pomerol Firsts', Lafleur is the most restrained, going long on rosemary, sage, truffle and toasted white pepper, oyster shell, saffron, with waves of rose and peony aromatics that are dominant over the autumnal hedgerow fruit and grilled sandalwood character. Intellectual, still not in its full drinking window, give a good five years longer in my opinion, but this is a stunning wine.
Lafleur 2016 is 45% Merlot and 55% Cabernet Franc giving a deep garnet color, with a touch of purple. It storms out of the glass with profound scents of plum preserves, dark chocolate, black cherry compote, and cast iron pan, leading to fragrant hints of mossy tree bark and lilacs. Full-bodied, the palate is so multi-layered and intense it is mind-blowing, delivering densely packed layers of black fruits, exotic spices and earthy elements, framed by super-firm, grained tannins and perfectly knit freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. WOW what a wine!
The 2016 Lafleur is blended of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot grown mainly on gravel over clay. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the nose begins by slowly releasing gorgeous, beguiling scents of truffles, black soil, crushed rocks and smoked meats, giving way to a beautiful perfume of red roses, dark chocolate-covered cherries, oolong tea and lavender with wafts of cigar box and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is completely coated with taut, tightly wound yet ethereally weighted layers of earth, mineral and perfumed black fruits, firmly fixed by very fine-grained tannins and great freshness, finishing very long and incredibly fragrant.