Wine Advisor
La Fleur de Bouard 2006
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The undisputed reference point for high quality in Lalande de Pomerol, this 50-acre estate produces a blend of 80% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2006 tips the scales at 13.5% natural alcohol. A beautiful effort, it offers sweet black cherry fruit interwoven with notes of licorice, pain grille, and espresso roast. Dense, opulent, medium to full-bodied, pure, and long, it should drink well for a decade or more. The luxury cuvee, Le Plus de la Fleur de Bouard, which is kept three years or more in barrel, will not be released until 2010 or so, but it represents the quintessence of this estate. Unfortunately, I have never seen a bottle of this wine available at retail as the production is so minuscule.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
At present, this estate is the reference point for high quality wines from Lalande de Pomerol. The basic cuvee from proprietor Hubert de Bouard and his wife Corinne, the 2006 La Fleur de Bouard is composed of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Sensationally rich, with abundant quantities of blue and black fruits, spring flowers, graphite, licorice, and hints of espresso roast as well as toasty oak, it is supple enough to be drunk now, or cellared for a decade.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This has a very pure, seductive nose of rounded ripe black fruits, with touches of blueberry and pine. The palate is full-bodied, very firm grip, clean, quite precise but lacking a little expressiveness towards the finish that is tight and introverted. I would like to see a little more fleshiness on the finish. Rather too much gloss for me, but maybe bottle age will imbue it with more charm? Drink 2010-2016. Tasted September 2008.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(a blend of 85% merlot, 12% cabernet franc and 3% cabernet sauvignon) Deep ruby-red. Black raspberry, black cherry, licorice and an herbal note on the nose. Lush and supple, with moderately sweet dark fruit and chocolate flavors. The oak-driven tannins grew as the wine opened in the glass. The merlot at this Lalande de Pomerol estate was picked early, on September 12 and 13.
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.
