Buying options
Tasting notes
The 1985 Lafleur is a vintage that I have tasted several times, though never from larger format. The aromatics transfix with copious brambly red berry fruit, wild hedgerow, roasted chestnut and Earl Grey scents that cohere wondrously in the glass. At 40 years old, this definitely has plenty of vigor. The palate is supremely well balanced and very harmonious, offering vivid red fruit laced with cedar and white pepper. Fleshier than the 1986 (as expected) with a tender but very persistent finish, this reaffirms how Jacques and Sylvie Guinaudeau hit the ground running with their first vintage. Tasted from ex-château magnum at Kate & Kon's 40-year vertical in Austria.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 1985 Lafleur is a magnificent Pomerol. That said, the bouquet seems discombobulated on the first pour and takes time to cohere. But cohere it does, manifesting entrancing scents of black cherry, peppermint/menthol, allspice and more violet-like aromas emerging with aeration. This has wonderful definition. It takes time for the Cabernet Franc to really express itself. The palate is medium-bodied, very well structured and quite savory now that it is broaching four decades in age. It has great depth, crescendoing with panache and sophistication toward the finish. The 1985 is a stunning example of a great Lafleur. Tasted at the Pomerol dinner at Cornus in London.
The 1985 Lafleur must be considered one of the wines of the vintage and is without question the finest Pomerol of the year, the 1985 Le Pin taking the silver medal. This bottle is exactly as I expected and cut from a similar cloth to the magnum poured at the vertical in Attersee. There is something about the bouquet that is totally "complete", a labyrinthine of black and red fruit that lean towards the richer side, the Merlot and Cabernet Franc in perfect harmony: blackberry, sage, allspice, menthol and crushed violets. The palate has an unerring symmetry coupled with bewitching harmony and lithe tannins than caress the senses. This is an intense, multi-layered Lafleur that goes on and on. It is a Pomerol that seems full of “corridors” that lead to hidden facets of the wine such as blood orange, brown spices, marmalade and cracked black pepper...It remains one of the standouts of the decade. This might be the best bottle I have tasted so far. Tasted at the “International Wine & Business” Lafleur dinner at Ten Trinity, London.
Still very dark crimson and wild and rich on the nose – most exotic. Not fully resolved yet. Very vigorous and spicy but I do wonder whether the tannins will ever truly resolve themselves before the fruit starts to fade. (JR)
About the producer
The Société Civile du Ch. Lafleur is the collective name for the Guinaudeau family’s wines and estates. These are some of the Right Bank’s most famous wines, including Ch. Lafleur and Les Pensées in Pomerol, along with Les Perrières, Les Champs Libres and Ch. Grand Village in Fronsac.