Chateau Lafleur, Pomerol 2020

One of the wines of the vintage, but likely to prove slower evolving and more introverted than its 2019 counterpart, the 2020 Lafleur unwinds in the glass with aromas of cherries, raspberries, kirsch, black truffle, orange zest and vine smoke. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's deep and concentrated, with a tightly wound core of fruit framed by rich, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, saline finish. This is another magical bottle from an estate that just seems to do everything right.

I was, to be honest, a little unsure of how the gravels here would react to the dry summer but the first hit of graphite and smoky berry fruit makes it clear Lafleur has taken the vintage in its stride. This is an excellent wine, barely showing its potential right now - it's a big year, with knitted-down tannins, serious and powerful, not austere so much as layered, complex and full of hidden energy. The floral aromatics curl up after 10 minutes in the glass, as does bitter chocolate and crushed mint.

The 2020 Lafleur has quite a reduced nose that remains stoic even with vigorous swirling, though it offers attractive brambly red fruit and wilted rose petal scents. That probably sways me toward a lower score than I otherwise would give, because this Pomerol is notoriously backward in its youth. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid red fruit, curry leaf and black pepper notes. Quite structured on the finish, with moderate length, this feels as if it might have closed down. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.