The 2022 Lafleur is masterpiece. This legendary vineyard, managed by one of the most diligent and knowledgeable winemaking teams on the planet, has excelled again – producing a wine of gravitas, complexity and remarkable length.
Described by the critics as “intellectual and delicious” and “one of the vintage's high points”, it ranks amongst the greatest wines ever produced by the Guinaudeau family.
Read MoreHowever, perhaps what impressed us most during our barrel tastings is the astonishing evolution of Les Perrieres and Grand Village.
Practiced exponents of massale selections, the past decade has seen the Guinaudeau team propagating genetic material from the Lafleur vineyard – both Bouchet (Cabernet Franc) and Merlot. These plantings in Grand Village and the limestone plots that form Les Perrieres have imparted a certain Lafleur magic, which becomes increasingly evident with every passing year.
Omri Ram is convinced that the dry conditions in early 2022 prepared the vines for the challenges that lay ahead. “They self-regulated, growing smaller canopies… these vines were in training… they were marathon runners.” The ability for vines to send roots deep in search of water was both remarkable and critical, resulting in small berries, packed with flavour and colour, yet without any shrivelling.
2022 will remain a mystery to vignerons. Whilst technical analysis points in one direction, there’s a clear contradiction in the glass. Yes, these are powerful, concentrated wines, but the aromatics and flavours speak of cooler climes. With great textural detail, clarity and bright acidities, the overwhelming sense is one of freshness and harmony.
The whites, Les Champs Libres and Grand Village Blanc, have also excelled in 2022, producing vital, crystalline wines. Alas, yields are painfully small.
As ever, the whole range is on allocation. To express your interest, please contact your Account Manager or follow the link below.
Lafleur
“A deep, gourmand vintage for this singular estate, the 2022 Lafleur unfurls in the glass with aromas of mulberries and cherries mingled with hints of rose petal, iris, orange zest and vine smoke. Full-bodied, layered and enveloping, it's pure and seamless, with supple tannins, huge depth at the core and a long, resonant finish. One of the most characterful as well as most consistent wines produced in contemporary Bordeaux, it will surely emerge as one of the vintage's high points. 97-99/100” – William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
“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. 2032-2075.* 97-99/100”* – Neal Martin, vinous.com**
Les Perrieres
“The 2022 Les Perrières de Lafleur shows just how adapted this higher-altitude site on the plateau of Fronsac is to warmer vintages. Wafting from the glass with aromas of mulberries and raspberries, sweet spices and rose petals, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with racy acids and a taut, mineral profile. It's another brilliant effort from this visionary project. 94-96/100” – William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
Grand Village
“Baptiste Guinaudeau and his team have produced a beautifully pure, perfumed 2022 Grand Village that bursts with aromas of licorice, graphite, blackberries, pencil shaving, iris and fresh mint. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and fleshy, this outstanding wine is perfectly balanced on the palate with velvety tannins and a bright, saline finish. This is one of the very best Grand Villages produced to date, and it benefits from the sort of careful winemaking normally reserved for cru classé wines. It’s a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, although for the latter grape the Guinaudeau family prefers the local name of Bouchet. 92-94/100” – William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
To download the Château Lafleur 2022 offer please click here.