Wine Advisor
Lafleur 2004
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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
This still has a very intense, tightly wound nose with pure black fruits with a little tar and tobacco. Rather closed at the moment and probably in need of serious decanting. The palate is just the kind of Pomerol I like: amazingly fresh, harmonious with an unerring sense of symmetry. Masculine, assertive, bold tannins that are still unresolved with layers of blackberry, tobacco, smoke and briary on the long finish. It is definitely one of the great wines of the vintage and if you like elegance and poise, go for this over the 2005. Drink 2020-2045+. Tasted September 2008.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Justerini & Brooks agency tasting in London. I absolutely adored the Château Lafleur 2004 when I first tasted it from barrel. Now with a decade on the clock, it is beginning to truly fulfil its promise as one of the wines of that vintage. It has a deep garnet hue. The nose demonstrates a sense of energy married with outstanding delineation: blackberry, blueberry and freshly shaved black truffle. The palate is extremely focused and tense, the acidity perfectly judged, and though the growing season perhaps curtails the sustain on the finish, there is coolness and a nonchalance here that is captivating. There remains some adolescent broodiness here, but give it another 3-4 years and you will have a great Pomerol and a great Lafleur on your hands. Tasted February 2015.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Now this is a wine. Having tasted one faulty sample elsewhere, this was true Lafleur. A very deep purple colour. The nose is very fresh, very minerally with incredible definition. Like VCC, it seems so natural. Blackberry, seaweed and redcurrants. Very focused on the palate with bewitching balance. Perfect acidity. Mulberry, blackberry and iron. Minerally. A wine that has greatness sewn into it from the beginning. Wine of the vintage? Retasted back at Lafleur the following primeur week. My wine of the vintage last year. This Lafleur has closed down over the last twelve months. Still that minerally nose, more broody and sulky this time. The palate is immensely concentrated, black fruits that touch of the sea. It looks as if this wine is "coiling" itself up, a long-term Lafleur that will need years. But the best things come to those who wait. Tasted April 2005.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2004 Lafleur is unquestionably a candidate for the wine of the vintage. Boasting extraordinary intensity and richness as well as complex notes of kirsch liqueur, raspberries, truffles, and earth, this rich, full-bodied effort is atypically expansive and deep for the vintage. Dense, smoky, and impressive, it should be at its peak between 2010-2030.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at John Armit’s Lafleur seminar in London, the 2004 remains an outstanding wine of the vintage. It is just beginning to show signs of maturation on the rim, whilst the Cabernet Franc component is beginning to exert itself on the nose, imparting a ferrous tincture. It is developing an almost Burgundy-like sense of purity. The palate has a sweet entry for a 2004 with that masculine exterior beginning to soften and reveal supple tannins enveloped in blackberry, orange peel and spice. Compared against the 2005 it unequivocally does not have nearly the same concentration, but it has a sense of hubris and charm that lifts it above its peers. Drink 2015-2025. Tasted April 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
One of the vintage’s most impressive efforts, this tiny vineyard has produced an atypically dense, multilayered 2004. An inky ruby/purple color is accompanied by sweet aromas of kirsch liqueur, violets, black currants, and a notion of licorice. This ripe, fragrant 2004 exhibits full-bodied, concentrated flavors that linger on the palate. Acidity provides up-lift and vibrancy to this impressively full, rich, long Pomerol. It should be one of the longest-lived right bank wines. Is it a modern day version of the colossal 1979? Anticipated maturity: 2014-2030.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Sadly, there are only 1,000 cases of the brilliant 2004 Lafleur (because of the strict selection implemented by proprietor Jacques Guinaudeau and his son, Baptiste). A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2004 presently possesses a certain austerity, along with fabulous concentration, and intense kirsch liqueur, licorice, truffle, and spice characteristics. Stunningly proportioned, medium to full-bodied, and powerful, it comes across like a modern day version of Lafleur’s brilliant 1979. The aromatics can fill a room, but the tannins kick in in the mouth. Give this Pomerol 5-8 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 25+.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good dark red. Currant, minerals, graphite and nutty oak, along with some funkier notes of leather and musky tobacco. Supple, deep and fine-grained but with a cooler character than the 2005. Less black and more red in character than the 2005, throwing off notes of raspberry, mocha, coffee, leather and underbrush. Finishes with substantial, slightly edgy tannins. This one will be fascinating to follow.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Red-ruby. Flamboyant Lafleur aromas of wild black fruits, leather, chocolate, damp earth and Montecristo #2. Dense, highly concentrated and layered but bright, with impressive energy in the mouth. Finishes firmly tannic and long, with notes of chocolate and mocha, and a distinct leathery rusticity. Offers terrific spine and excellent cellaring potential. A strong showing.
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.
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