Wine Advisor
La Fleur de Bouard 1999
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Hubert de Bouard, the proprietor of Angelus, has branched out to a neighboring satellite appellation, and this is the first vintage of this Lalande de Pomerol where he has controlled both the viticulture and the winemaking. A sleeper of the vintage, the dense ruby/purple-colored 1999 La Fleur de Bouard displays sumptuous aromas of jammy blackberries, cherries, and toasty, smoky oak. This ripe, medium-bodied, intensely concentrated wine coats the palate and fills the mouth with pleasure. It should drink well for 6-8 years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The first vintage to be totally controlled by Hubert de Bouard, this is an exotic, flamboyant, explosive offering boasting an opaque blue/purple color as well as a gorgeously sweet nose of blueberries, blackberries, licorice, and Asian spices. Dense, full-bodied, and undeniably superb, it is an amazing accomplishment for Lalande-de-Pomerol. Give it 1-2 years of cellaring and consume it over the following 12-15. Kudos to the proprietor, one of the leaders of St.-Emilion's resurgence in quality. A super sleeper!
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This excellent, dark ruby/purple-colored 1999 offers sweet toasty new oak and attractive blackberry and cassis fruit in a soft, well-made, delineated style. It possesses elegance, power, richness, and depth. This wine will be at its finest between 2003-2012.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Full ruby-red. Fresh aromas of violet, bitter chocolate and licorice. Dense, lively and intensely flavored, with flavors of plum, currant, leather and roasted stones enlivened by the wine firm mineral spine. Finishes with nicely ripe tannins. Bouard prunes the vines low, "a la Medocaine," on this stony portion of this estate, and does not remove leaves because the heat stored up by the stones might well burn the fruit.
About the Producer
Chateau La Fleur de Bouard is located in the heart of France on the right bank of the Garonne River, close to the two famous appellations of St. Emilion and Pomeral, and in a unique geographical location. The vineyards of the winery are located in the Lalande de Pomerol appellation and cover an area of 25 hectares. Of these, 17 hectares are located on the Neac plateau, with soils composed of top clay and deep gravel. The remaining 8 hectares of the vineyard are made up of larger pebble grains and a few clays. The vineyards are planted with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a density of 8,547 vines per hectare. The grapes of Château Baudelaire are macerated at a low temperature of 4 to 8°C before being fermented in alcoholic fermentation in wooden winemaking vats or oak barrels. Depending on the grape variety and the year of harvest, the wine is stored in new and old oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and maturation for 12 to 33 months. Château La Fleur Saint Georges offers three series of wines: Le Plus de la Fleur de Bouard, La Fleur de Bouard and Chateau La Fleur Saint Georges. Among them, the 2009 vintage of Bouard has a deep color, aromas of red and black fruits, slightly vanilla and coffee, a rounded palate with silky tannins, a complex structure and a long finish, making it the best Bouard to date.
