Wine Advisor
Le Plus de La Fleur de Bouard 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Le Plus de La Fleur de Boüard is every bit as promising as it has always been. Still in barrel, La Fleur possesses tremendous richness and pure power. Dark red cherry, plum, chocolate, torrefaction, spice and menthol all develop in the glass. I am not sure about the extended barrel aging for Le Plus, but time will ultimately be the judge of that.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2016 Le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard had not been bottled when I tasted it. It is similar on the nose to April 2017, featuring precocious black cherries, crème de cassis and violet aromas; glossy and very modern in style, but missing a sense of personality. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannin, plenty of new oak still to be subsumed, and a lightly spiced finish. Not bad, but it needs more spring in its step.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2016 Le Plus (100% Merlot) has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and rocks up with a flamboyantly-scented nose of Morello cherries, warm black plum, blackberry preserves and chocolate box with a touch of bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with open-knit black fruit preserves, sparked by dried herbs and textured with soft, rounded tannins, finishing with a lively lift.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2016 Le Plus from La Fleur de Boüard has an opulent, almost decadent bouquet that delivers a payload of ripe black cherry, cassis and boysenberry jam aromas, hedonistic rather than heady. The palate is full-bodied with very ripe black fruit laced with dark chocolate and plenty of cassis; this is a large and rounded, sumptuous Lalande-de-Pomerol that exchanges the finesse of the vintage with sheer concentration. It has swagger for sure, although it does not have the precision of some of de Boüard's other 2016s.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard had not been bottled when I tasted it. It is similar on the nose to April 2017, featuring precocious black cherries, crème de cassis and violet aromas; glossy and very modern in style, but missing a sense of personality. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannin, plenty of new oak still to be subsumed, and a lightly spiced finish. Not bad, but it needs more spring in its step.
About the Producer
Le Plus de La Fleur de Boüard is made from the oldest vines planted on land consisting of clay-topped boulders expressing the full character of the hotel's ancient Merlot grapes, the only variety used. The yields of these very old vines are apparently very low, ranging from 15 to 29 hectoliters per hectare. The wines are aged for a very long time: 33 months in barrels and 18 months on fine lees. The resulting wine is smooth and elegant. It has a perfect balance and a lovely freshness. This lush, mouth-watering wine offers intense aromas and outstanding elegance.
