Wine Advisor
Lafleur 1976
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Description
Château Lafleur is a tiny 4.5-hectare Pomerol property located opposite Pétrus and producing wines of comparable quality. Lafleur is owned and run by Sylvie and Jacques Guinadeau. Its vineyards are situated on the gravel-rich Pomerol plateau and adjoin those of La Fleur-Pétrus. The soils here are particularly deep and are enriched by deposits of potassium and iron. Only natural fertilisers are used and yields are painfully low, even by Pomerol standards. By the 1980s, Chateau Lafleur was on its way to becoming one of the world’s most in-demand wines selling for more than the First Growths. In 1975, Robert Parker made his first visit to the estate and since then never stopped writing about the wine. His comments on Chateau Lafleur excited consumers all over the world, and thus became one of those Pomerol wines that tied to the success and continuous praise heaped on the wine by Robert Parker.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Sourced from impeccable provenance and served at Thomas de Waen’s dinner, the 1976 has a deep garnet core with a tawny rim. The nose is actually attractive with scents of mulberry, sloe and yellow plum. You can certainly tell the heat and the drought of the growing season on this relatively exotic bouquet. The palate is perfectly pleasurable for the first 10-15 minutes, almost Mediterranean in style, bearing little semblance to a Pomerol. There are notes of candied orange peel and yellow plum towards the finish with a texture reminiscent of a rustic Grenache, although it is atrophied by aeration rendering the finish becomes dry and astringent, hence my parsimonious score. Serve and pour. Tasted March 2011.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Like many Pomerols of this vintage (which was marked by the intense heat and drought of that year's summer), Lafleur's 1976 exhibits an overripe character. Diffuse in structure, with a flabby, soft texture, the flavors of the 1976 Lafleur are pleasingly plump and ripe, but the acidity is quite low, and the tannin is quickly fading. Anticipated maturity: Now-probably in serious decline. Last tasted, 9/82.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Lafleur vertical dinner at Attersee in Austria. This is better than the bottle that I tasted last year, but it is no great shakes. There is a touch of TCA on the nose. The palate is rustic and baked, this bottle showing noticeable VA with an attenuated, slightly metallic finish. To add insult to injury, here it is out-performed by the ’77! Tasted June 2012.
About the Producer
In 2002, the Gwinoders completely acquired Lafleur, becoming the sole owner of Lafleur, and have been operating it ever since. Huabao now has 4.5 hectares of vineyards. The soil types in the garden are diverse, including gravel, clay and gravel. Generally speaking, these soils are relatively poor and very suitable for grape planting. Among the grape varieties planted in the vineyard, Merlot (Merlot) and Cabernet Franc (Cabernet Franc) are equally divided, each accounting for 50%, the planting density is 6,000-7,500 plants/ha, and the average tree age is 30 years.
1975(1)
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