Pensees de Lafleur, Pomerol 2023

The 2023 Pensées de Lafleur has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with notes of sweet dark berries mingled with violets, blood orange and hints of truffle. Full-bodied, supple and fleshy, it's deep and complete, with a seamless core of fruit framed by sweet tannins and succulent acids. As I've written before, this cuvée, derived from vines growing in the part of Lafleur's vineyard through which a water course once flowed and where the soils are richer in clay and better hydrated, still lives in the shadow of its grander sibling, but it's a must-purchase for me every year.

The second wine of this reference point Pomerol estate, the 2023 Pensees De Lafleur is a more Merlot-dominated blend that's from more clay soils and spent 15 months in barrel (25% new and 75% nine months old). A gorgeous, classic Pomerol style emerges here, offering ripe red and black fruit intermixed with damp earth, liquid violets, chocolate, and graphite. It's medium to full-bodied and has a nicely concentrated, focused mouthfeel, some classic Lafleur elegance, ample mid-palate depth, and a more foursquare style (only compared to the Grand Vin), yet it's brilliant. It will keep for 20-30 years. Drink 2028-2053.

The 2023 Les Pensées de Lafleur has grown beautifully since I tasted it from barrel. The aromatics alone are mesmerizing. Crushed flowers, mint, dried herbs, rose petal and blood orange build beautifully. This seamless, captivating Pomerol is a total delight.

The 2023 Les Pensées has quite a discreet bouquet with black plum, wild hedgerow and light violet scents, a little closed but I think because of the weather on that day of tasting. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy tannins, a fine backbone matched by conspicuous freshness and especially marked sapidity coming through on the finish. Excellent.