Les Perrières,

Les Perrieres de Lafleur 2018 is deep garnet purple in color. It offers vanilla, chocolate, and cedar, over a core of plum preserves and Morello cherries, with a hint of cinnamon. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is taut and muscular, with elegant fruit layers and a mineral-tinged finish.

The 2018 Les Perrières comes from the Guinaudeau family of Château Lafleur fame. The first nine vintages were named "Acte" but the 2018 was seen as a new chapter and renamed accordingly. Fifty percent comes from a massal selection of Bouchet (Cabernet Franc) vines from Lafleur, located on the southwest crest of the Fronsac plateau near the hamlet of Meyney, and the other half is Merlot. I concur with assistant winemaker Omri Ram that this has more semblance to the Grand Vin of Lafleur than the Les Pensées. After an hour’s decanting, one finds brambly black fruit, crushed, powdery rock/basalt, pressed iris flowers and faint tobacco note. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Classic in style, this is not a blockbuster Les Perrières, despite the 15% alcohol. It is quite streamlined and poised on the finish, with a persistent peppery aftertaste thanks to the contribution of the Bouchet. This should drink well after a couple of years but really deserves longer in bottle.