Chateau Lafleur, Pomerol 2015

Very deep and dark fruits on the nose with black mushrooms and wet earth and just a hint of stones. Touch of rust. Full-bodied, tight and focused. Lots of tannins yet this is so polished under the surface of the wine. Draws you in and holds you with its unique personality. Some tile and clay character to it. Makes you think. Try in 2025.

Beautifully handled, with layers of grilled cocoa bean, caramel sweetness that places you squarely in Pomerol at the decade mark, pure pleasure, satin texture, fragrant cumin spice, edges of violets and crushed roses as it opens up through the glass. Exceptional, years ahead. Gorgeous. Just 13.5%abv in 2014, so this is a jump up in terms of ripeness, takes it on effortlessly. 20% new oak, Guinaudeau family owners.

The 2015 Lafleur is straight-up as good as it gets and is a monumental, legendary wine in the making. Made from close to an even split of Merlot and Cabernet Franc from this magical, tiny terroir in Pomerol, it reveals a saturated ruby/purple color as well as a stunning bouquet of black raspberries, kirsch liqueur, white truffles, earth, and an awesome sense of minerality. Deep, full-bodied, moderately tannic, and fabulously concentrated, all while remaining insanely elegant and seamless, it’s a profound wine that needs 4-6 years of bottle age and will keep for 3-4 decades.

Lafleur 2015 is a blend of 51% Merlot and 49% Cabernet Franc and has a medium to deep garnet color. It shoots from the glass with opulent scents of baked blackberries, warm plums, and tar with nuances of violets, licorice, dark chocolate, and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house, featuring firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note.

Just as it was from barrel, the 2015 Lafleur is restrained, inward and not anywhere near as showy as most wines in this vintage. Deep, dark and quite potent, the 2015 is going to need many years to be at its best. I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle before age ten, and even that probably won't be enough time to allow the 2015 to start unwinding. The 2015 is endowed with superb depth and intensity from the very first taste. Time in the glass brings out much of the Cabernet Franc character. The 2015 is an infant, but it is also a great wine in the making.

The 2015 Lafleur, like the bottles tasted earlier this year, is a little reluctant on the nose, gradually opening with slightly blacker fruit (in this larger format) as well as those enticing pencil shaving and black truffle aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, perhaps less silky than those I found in bottle but complex and harmonious. The cedar and graphite-tinged finish is backward yet compelling. Outstanding. Tasted from ex-château magnum at Kate & Kon's 40-Year vertical in Austria.