Bright ruby-red. Raspberry, menthol, leather and spices on the slightly sauvage, cool nose. Fat and rich but youthfully tough, even clenched, with idiosyncratic flavors of medicinal black cherry, leather, game and black olive. Not showing the sweet side of the vintage today; in fact, this seems rather backward today, despite its modest acidity.

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Deep rich ruby. Heady, liqueur-like. A little fragile and transparent. Great delicacy and savour – so different from the right bank mainstream! – but this needs understanding of the philosophy… Long. Not a ridiculous price for the quality. So persistent and solid without being hot.

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Performing slightly less impressively from bottle than it did from cask, this wine's Cabernet Franc element has come forward, revealing a distinctive herbal, bell pepper, vegetal character that kept my score from going higher. Nevertheless, there is plenty to like about this 2001 Pomerol. It possesses a saturated ruby/purple color, powerful aromas (kirsch liqueur, raspberries, and blackberries), an earthy, muscular, chunky character, and the most tannic personality of any Pomerol I tasted. While not the huge blockbuster Lafleur can often produce, it is well-built.

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This wine starts out very tight, with fresh herb and tobacco character, but then it opens to ripe plum, berry and chocolate character. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish. Impressive. Lafleur is always outstanding. 1,000 cases made.

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