Château Lafleur, Pomerol,

A blend of 49% Merlot and 51% Bouchet (Cabernet Franc), with a pH of 3.8, Lafleur 2022 has a deep garnet-purple color. The nose is incredibly backward and closed, slowly unfurling to offer glimpses at plum pudding, baked black plums, and dark chocolate, followed by subtle nuances of licorice, violets, cast-iron pan, and Indian spices, with a touch of wood smoke. The medium to full-bodied palate is built like a skyscraper, with very firm, very fine-grained tannins and plenty of freshness supporting the tightly wound black fruits and earthy layers, finishing with incredible length. It will need a lot of time.

The 2022 Lafleur was picked from 3 September with the early Merlot and then over the next two weeks. It underwent double sorting in the vineyard and then at reception, aged in 25% new oak. This is bestowed a compelling bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, iodine and incense, beautifully defined, maybe more sensual than recent vintages. The palate is blessed with unerring symmetry, a fine thread of acidity, a graphite seam from start to finish and a constant sapidity. Extremely precise and ineffably persistent, this is an intellectual and delicious Lafleur - a lethal combination. Among the best that Baptiste and Julie Guinaudeau have conjured in recent years and that's a very impressive canon of work.