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Tasting Notes
I wouldn't be surprised to see the 2021 Château Lafleur be the wine of the vintage. Based on 52% Bouchet (Cabernet Franc) and 48% Merlot, it's hard to believe this is a 2021 when tasting it, and it has more density, depth, and class than just about every other wine out there. Gorgeous black raspberries, framboise, spring flowers, scorched earth, and graphite define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, perfectly balanced, and has incredible tannins and a salty, mineral-drenched vibe on the finish that's something to behold. Wines in 2021 that stand up to what was achieved in 2016, 2018, and 2019 are few and far between, but this might be one of them. This is as singular as they come and shows the absolute best of the vintage. Bravo.
Critic Scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Lafleur is without question one of the wines of the vintage. Dense and explosive the 2021 possesses tremendous intensity in every dimension. It's a wine that really lives in its own universe. Readers lucky enough to taste it will likely be shocked by the sheer density here. Baptiste Guinaudeau reports berry sizes (typically large in 2021) were the same size as in 2015. Time brings out a heady mix of red berry fruit intermingled with floral, savory and saline accents. This deep, packed Pomerol won't be ready to drink for more than a decade.
The 2021 Lafleur was picked 17 and 24 September for the Merlot and on 2 October for the Bouchets (to give Cabernet Franc its proper name in these parts). It has a very focused bouquet with dark berry fruit, crushed rock, iris flower and just a touch of blue fruit. The palate is silky smooth on the entry with a fine bead of acidity. Beautifully-balanced, conveying palpable energy, this is cool, calm and collected on the finish, brushing off the hurdles of the growing season like water off a duck's back. Baptiste and Julie Guinaudeau have conjured not just one of the finest Pomerols of 2021, but one of the finest Bordeaux wines.
Woooow! This really rolls off the palate and goes on and on, Full-bodied and so long. Sweet and sour. Cherries, currants. Orange peel. Thought-provokingly energetic. Defines youthful sophistication.
About the producer
The Société Civile du Ch. Lafleur is the collective name for the Guinaudeau family’s wines and estates. These are some of the Right Bank’s most famous wines, including Ch. Lafleur and Les Pensées in Pomerol, along with Les Perrières, Les Champs Libres and Ch. Grand Village in Fronsac.