Wine Advisor
Lafleur 1993
View analysis
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
This has always been one of my favourite wines of the vintage. Here it has a consistent nose of mineral-laden black fruit, cedar and tobacco that verges of the Left Bank in style. The palate is very well balanced with crisp, rigid tannins and a pastille-like purity towards the finish that just seems to have mellowed a little. This is a Lafleur that does not make any compromises - it is what it is, come what may. As such, it is one of the most typical Lafleur wines of the 1990s, one that is drinking beautifully now. Tasted December 2013.
Reviewed by: William Kelley
One of a small handful of contenders for the title of wine of the vintage, the 1993 Lafleur is beginning to drink brilliantly. Unfurling in the decanter and glass with aromas of sweet berry fruit, kirsch, loamy soil and black truffles, it's medium to full-bodied, muscular and concentrated, its imposing chassis of ripe but melting tannin cloaked in an ample core of thick, concentrated fruit. Uncommonly powerful for the vintage, and displaying none of 1993's tendency to asperity, it is just entering what will be a long drinking window. Held to any standards other than Lafleur's, this might well merit an even higher score, and it would be a great choice to insert into any blind tasting of more sought-after vintages.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Deep garnet/ruby colour. An exquisite nose: morello cherry, black truffles, minerals, blueberries, figs. Very rich and complex. The palate is tannic, but balanced by amazing concentration and ripeness. Red fruits, damson, dates. Good acidity. This is only just getting into its stride. Certainly the wine of the vintage. One corked bottle, then a third encounter at the Lafleur vertical in September 2004.. The nose is nowhere near as flamboyant as before, much more backward with notes of tar, truffles and scorched leather. But the palate is definitely well balanced, less ostentatious than before and lacking some grip on the finish. There is still an attractive elegance about it: fine definition, quite pure, but it lacks the depth and complexity of a great Lafleur.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Exhibiting a dark purple color with an opaque middle, Lafleur's 1993 is structured, tannic, and almost charmless because of its huge power and structure. The wine offers up hints of gorgeously sweet, black-raspberry, kirsch, and truffle aromas (similar to those possessed by L'Evangile), but after that, one has to be content with its unbridled power, medium to full-bodied, layered richness, and ferocious tannin. This is a backward, dense, yet purely made wine. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Dynasty restaurant in Hong Kong. For me, Jacques Guinaudeau made one of the best Bordeaux wines of the vintage. It is several years since I have tasted the 1993, but it has a divine bouquet with scents of mulberry, dark plum, cold wet limestone and black truffle. Returning to the glass after 30 minutes it develops more tertiary aromas. The palate is full-bodied with a sturdy backbone, a little “gritty” like many wines of this vintage. However, they are layers and layers of gutsy black fruit, burnt toast, spice and a fleshy merlot finish. Excellent. Tasted November 2011.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The most tannic, backward, closed wine of the vintage is unquestionably Lafleur's 1993. The wine's color is an opaque purple/black, and the nose reluctantly offers up scents of Asian spices, licorice, and black fruits. Full-bodied, as well as ferociously tannic and hard, with considerable weight, this painfully astringent, yet awesomely extracted wine demands 10-15 years of cellaring. Perhaps a downsized version of the blockbuster, still frightfully tannic and backward, yet mindboggling 1975, the 1993 is a candidate for 30+ years of longevity - but only the wealthiest, healthiest, and most patient readers will have the fortitude to wait it out. Drink it after 2010!
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)1976(1)1982(1)1985(1)1988(1)1989(1)1990(2)
Package Size
