Les Pensées, Pomerol
    Château Lafleur

    Les Pensées, Pomerol, 2021

    93/100
    Inside Bordeaux
    90-92/100
    The Wine Independent
    92/100
    Vinous
    Available Vintages
    portfolio
    1. Last Few

      2021

      75cl

      DP

      £189.59

    2. 2021

      3x75cl

      DP

      £568.76

    Broking
    1. 2021

      3x75cl

      DP

      £430.76

    Justerini & Brooks Tasting note

    Omri described 2021 as a "vintage of work". This is not something the Guinaudeau clan are afraid of. Few teams are as well prepared, but even for the most meticulous, nature can sometimes present new challenges. In all they encountered 10 nights that required frost protection, but on the 6th of April, they noticed that the turbines were having no affect. It turned out that a 2 Km column of cold air (that originated in Greenland) was sitting over Bordeaux. The turbines were simply sucking more cold air down into the vineyards. Thankfully it wasn’t a hard frost, so the bougies deployed amongst the vines prevented any serious loss. and thankfully they worked; . Omri also defines 2021 as another "multi-vintage year". The first half of summer was oceanic and presented mildew pressure. It wasn't the heaviest rain, but it was unrelenting and required a lot of "gardening". When summer finally arrived, the team worked the soils helping oxygenate the vines. Finally, 2021 provided the opportunity to make wines with lift and elegance. We probably sound like broken records, but this is yet another impeccable range of wines from the Guinaudeau family estates, particularly for Grand Village (red and white) and Les Perrieres. Quite dramatic aromas. One is definitely back in Pomerol with suggestions of flowers and plums. Beautifully refined fruit, fleshy and ripe in the mid-palate, then returns to violets, cool earth notes and touches of nori. Although there's salinity, freshness and chalky tannins, this has a rounder profile (after the Perrieres) and doesn't quite possess the same snap and energy. Two very different expressions. 59% Merlot and 41% Bouchet (Cabernet Franc).

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    Critic Reviews

    93/100
    Jane Anson,
    Inside Bordeaux
    Unusually welcoming for a 2021, with red roses and peony aromatics. It has connected more squarely with its usual character after ageing, and is now showing the supple and enticing tannins of the châtaeu, with an expansion through the mid palate. Red cherry, pomegranta and blackberry fruit, with earth, iron, pomegranate, slate and lemongrass. No chaptilisation. Harvest September 28 to October 2. Merlot-dominant on clay-sand-gravel, classic Pomerol terroir.
    drinking window 2026 - 2038
    date of review 03/2024
    92/100
    Neal Martin,
    Vinous
    The 2021 Les Pensées, from the clay soils within Lafleur, has much more red fruit on the nose compared to the Perrières, still finely delineated with hints of graphite and pencil shavings infusing the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins, beautifully balanced, gently building in the mouth toward a finish that has impressive sapidity and cohesion. Long and tender, this is an outstanding articulation of its terroir in a more challenging, "non-solar" vintage. You could broach this in a year or two, though personally, I prefer to wait.
    drinking window 2028 - 2048
    date of review 02/2024
    90-92/100
    Lisa Perrotti-Brown,
    The Wine Independent
    The 2021 Pensees de Lafleur is made from 59% Merlot, harvested on 28 September, and 41% Cabernet Franc, harvested on 2 October. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it storms out of the glass with powerful notes of stewed black and red plums, mulberries, and fresh black cherries, plus suggestions of potpourri, eucalyptus, pencil shavings, and charcoal. Medium-bodied, the fruit dances on the palate, featuring a lively backbone and ripe, rounded tannins to support, finishing long and with wonderful purity.
    drinking window 2026 - 2043
    date of review 05/2022

    product details

    Specifications

    Country:
    France
    Region:
    Bordeaux
    Appellation:
    Pomerol
    style:
    Red Wine
    Grape Variety:
    Merlot Cabernet Franc
    abv:
    13.5%

    allergen information

    This product may contain sulphites. Full allergen information is available upon request, please call our Customer Relations Team on +44 (0)20 7484 6430.