2023 Château Lafleur, Pomerol

The 2023 Lafleur is a wine of elegance and restraint at this stage. Pretty aromatics open first, leading to an expressive core of red and purplish-toned fruit. Today, the 2023 is a wine of reserve more than anything else. It strikes me as a bit light relative to most recent years.

The 2023 Lafleur was picked from September 7 to 17 and is the usual blend of roughly equal parts Bouchets (Cabernet Franc) and Merlot. It has a very backward nose at first, only reluctantly opening. Tobacco and touches of shucked oyster shell surface with air. This is a more tertiary bouquet—completely different in style to the neighboring Pétrus. The palate is very linear and strict, like the nose, fresh with a tincture of dark chocolate and wrapped up with black fruit, black pepper and a touch of tea leaves toward the finish. The Bouchets is very expressive on the close, and it lingers beautifully. This is not a flamboyant Lafleur—it is very reflective of the growing season, perhaps a more cerebral wine that will be fascinating to observe as it ages. This is one of the few profound wines this vintage, yet it’s still a challenge. This is a wine for those who like cryptic crosswords and Pomerol.

The fruit in this is superb, with an al-dente character to the grapes that were perfectly ripe when picked. Surprising openness on the nose, showing blackberries, violet, caramel and cedar with just a hint of chocolate. Turns to tobacco and earth. Medium to full body with creamy tannins and a vivid finish. Pristine through to the end. 54% bouchet (cabernet franc) and 46% merlot.

The 2023 Lafleur is one of a small number of contenders for the title of wine of the vintage, and it's one 2023 that appears to surpass its 2022 counterpart. Wafting from the glass with aromas of blackberries, cherries and plums mingled with hints of licorice, violets and mint, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated core of lively, succulent, pure fruit framed by beautifully refined tannins, concluding with a long, fragrant finish. Its exquisite structure, intensity without weight and ineffable harmony mark it out as a great Lafleur, and one that will be worth a special effort to seek out. It's a blend of 56% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot.