Wine Advisor
Lafleur 2008
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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: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2008 Lafleur is a wine to buy from this very under-rated vintage. A blend of 54% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot, the wine has a similar color to the 2010, only less purple. With a beautiful nose of boysenberry , black cherry, damp earth and truffle-like notes in what is clearly a classic style, it is built in a masculine, full-bodied manner along the lines of the 1988 or perhaps 1996. This wine needs a good 5-7 years of cellaring and should keep 30 years. It is certainly one of the most backward 2008s from Pomerol.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted ex-chateau and single blind in Southwold. The Lafleur 2008 has a ripe mulberry, plum and earthy nose, initially quite lifted but cowering into its shell, as if it had suddenly remembered that Lafleur does not open up for 15-20 years. The palate is medium-bodied with thick, chewy, almost abrasive tannins that will need many years to soften. Of course, it is still very tight and to be frank, not very enjoyable at the moment (hence I scored it down in blind.) Very closed on the finish – broody and introspective. It is a quintessential Lafleur, tough as old boots...but so charismatic! Tasted January 2012.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted with Baptiste Guinaudeau, the 2008 Lafleur is a wine for which I have a lot of time, and as it approaches a decade old, it is beginning to loosen up a little. There is plenty of fruit on the nose—more than I have encountered on previous bottles, with a mixture of red and black fruit—and a hint of bell pepper and sage. The main difference is that those previously rigid tannin have loosened their collar in recent months; therefore, this Lafleur is now entertaining the notion of drinkability. There remains a linearity to this Lafleur—and there is still that backbone—yet it seems to flow nicely across the mouth, and there is superb mineralité on the finish. It's probably destined to be overshadowed by the succeeding two vintages, but I suggest you do not overlook the 2008 Lafleur.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at John Armit’s Lafleur seminar in London, the 2008 seems to be shutting up shop a little on the nose with dark berry fruit, cedar and a touch of bell pepper that I have not noticed before. But it still remains taut and linear. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy, firm, dry tannins and superb acidity the cuts through the liquorice-tinged, dark fruit. There is a broodiness to the 2008, a sense of introspection compared to the more outgoing 2008, a solidity to the finish that will take time to soften. It will be interesting to compare this against the 2004 in future years. Tasted April 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2008 Lafleur, a blend of 54% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot, offers extraordinarily pure notes of raspberries, kirsch, flowers, and subtle forest floor nuances. A wine of exceptional purity and full-bodied intensity that remains light on its feet because of its fresh acids and lower pH, it represents a denser, more complete version of the 1988 and 1996. Built for the long haul, purchasers will need at least a decade of patience before pulling a cork. It should keep for 40-50 years thereafter. The tiny Lafleur vineyard, which was harvested between October 8-14, produced a wine with an atypically high percentage of Cabernet Franc. Proprietor Guinadeau stated that the Cabernet Franc was among the finest he had ever harvested.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the chateau, this has a very clear garnet core. It has a much understated nose at first and takes time to build in the glass. Very complex: dark berried fruits, dark plum, crushed pebbles, a touch of cedar, very taut and linear. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, great purity here but the structure grips the mouth more than any other Pomerol. Dark berried fruit, a cedar, liquorices, immense mineralite but it is very tightly contained. Real weight and density towards the finish with great persistency. Excellent, but certainly a masculine; a Pomerol for those with patience. Drink 2018-2040. Tasted October 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
En primeur barrel sample. A blend of 46% Merlot and 56% Cabernet Franc harvested 4-6th October 14th September until 5th October. Here we have one of those Lafleur's with a sulky, reticent nose, but that does not presage a poor wine, rather one that does not need to give everything away prematurely. The nose is tight at first and takes time to unfurl, very broody with touches of oyster shell and cockle sheds. The palate is full-bodied, again demonstrating that -controlled power-, silky smooth tannins, very sensuous but belying the persistency and puissance towards the finish. An almost digestive aftertaste. A cerebral Lafleur for long-terms cellaring. Tasted April 2009.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
(a blend of 54% cabernet franc and 46% merlot; 32 hl/ha; a 65% selection for the grand vin Pretty ruby color. Very reticent, mineral-driven nose reluctantly releases scents of pure violet, raspberry and spicy red cherry. On the palate, there are pristine flavors of red fruits, minerals and delicate sweet spices. Absolutely seamless already but with strong acids giving a steely quality to the saline, persistent finish. This Lafleur is more dominated than usual by its cabernet franc component and will require patience. I think the '06 was noticeably better and more forward at a similar stage of development, but as this picks up flesh with age, it should eventually be thought of as one of the wines of the vintage.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2008 Lafleur is a wine that I have tasted several times. It mirrored my previous encounters. There is still impressive fruit concentration on the nose, equally distributed between red and black, a hint of clove and just a touch of Italian delicatessen emanating from the Cabernet Franc. The palate has just melted a little since its obdurate infancy, although it is still quite linear and strict. You might argue that the 2008 Lafleur is a little charmless at the moment, but bottle age will sculpt and abrade this Pomerol into a very fine, if slightly aloof wine. (This was not shown at BI Wine & Spirit’s horizontal but a bottle was opened at a private dinner when I was in Bordeaux a few days earlier.)
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(65% merlot and 35% cabernet franc): Bright, moderately saturated ruby-red. Wonderfully floral, pure nose offers penetrating blueberry, red cherry and violet scents. Sweet on entry, then tight and youthfully medicinal in the middle, with flavors of blackcurrant, raspberry and camphor complicated by a strong mineral presence. A wonderfully balanced Lafleur, but with a firm tannic spine that will require years to resolve. Finishes juicy, precise and very long.
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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