Château Lafleur: Tasting & Drinking
Looking at all the top estates of Pomerol, my encounters with the wines of Château Lafleur have not been as frequent as my encounters with its peers. Indeed, I am more familiar with the wines of Petrus, and perhaps even Le Pin, than I am with those of Château Lafleur. These infrequent encounters do, however, take in a mix of young vintages, particularly the very recent vintages tasted en primeur, as well as maturing vintages from the latter years of the 20th century.
Few as they are, these moments of tasting and contemplation have been sufficient to teach me not only about the wines of Château Lafleur, but about Pomerol itself. There is a particular characteristic that comes through in the wines of Pomerol, a clay-like, savoury and dry character, which in the past I have often likened to potter’s clay. It is cool, dark, reserved, generous but not too broad or seductive. Château Lafleur presents this side of Pomerol, to some extent helping to define the appellation, but it does so with an exquisite tension and nervosity that gives the wine great vigour and definition, as well as a very flattering layer of fruit, all damsons and cherries, sufficiently seductive to draw in the unwary with all the heady charm of the siren’s call. The wines of Château Lafleur are, without a doubt, some of the grandest wines made in the appellation. Indeed, they are some of the grandest wines in all Bordeaux.
Looking back at vintages tasted, perhaps it is my penchant for Cabernet Franc, but more likely a reflection of the committed philosophy and work ethic here, but Château Lafleur is not infrequently one of my favourite wines in any one vintage, and with such high scores has surely come out on top once or twice. Supreme vintages here include 2019, I wine I could only taste after bottling (there was no chance of me travelling to Bordeaux to taste it from barrel during the primeurs because of Covid-19 travel restrictions) but one taste was enough to sense the perfection in this wine. The same goes for the simply breathtaking 2015, as I handed out the highest possible score to both vintages. Numbers are just numbers though, and there is super quality and much joy to be had in a multitude of other vintages, with 2023, 2022, 2020, 2018, 2017 and 2016 vintages, not to mention a number of older bottles. These are wines to be coveted, purchased and enjoyed. All that is standing in your way is the considerable price tag which, given the quality, the supply and the demand, for once seems appropriate. Happy hunting! (14/8/12, updated 28/12/13, 23/12/18, 26/10/24)
