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Tasting notes
The 2018 Lafleur is mesmerizing. What a wine! The aromatics alone are spellbinding. There is no need to actually taste the 2018 to know how profound it is. Silky and caressing, with phenomenal persistence, the 2018 is a total knock-out. Spice, cedar, blood orange, sage, mint, rose petal and kirsch all race out of the glass, saturating the palate with a dazzling concoction of aromas, textures and flavors. Readers lucky enough to find it should not hesitate.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2018 Lafleur is a blend of 54% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the nose absolutely shuts down upon first pour. After a lot of air, it slowly unfurls to reveal alluring scents of fresh black cherries, ripe blackberries and redcurrant jelly, leading to suggestions of sandalwood, pencil shavings, lilacs and forest floor, with emerging, heady wafts of camphor, iron ore and Indian spices. The rich, full-bodied palate is equally slow to read, offering whispers and murmurs of earth and exotic spice-laced black fruits with glimpses at a fleeting floral undercurrent, framed by firm, finely grained tannins and beautifully knit freshness, finishing with an edifying perfume. This is liquid poetry, but I would touch it for 7-8 years, at least. Should you be around in 40 years' time, expect it to blow your mind.
More deeply colored, the 2018 Lafleur is one heavenly barrel sample that’s certainly going to end up being one of the wines of the vintage. Based on 54% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot, all from the gravelly portions of the vineyard, it boasts a massive bouquet of smoked blue fruits, black raspberries, scorched earth, orange blossom, tobacco, and cocoa. Deep, full-bodied, yet weightless and seamless, with a Grand Cru Burgundy-like texture, it has a stacked mid-palate, fine tannins, and a great, great finish. While most wines from the vintage have plenty of upfront appeal, there’s a classic, backward style here that makes me think this will require a solid decade of cellaring
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.