2018 Château Lafleur-Gazin, Pomerol

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Lafleur-Gazin (100% Merlot) delivers compelling scents of violets and lavender interspersed with warm plums, baked cherries and blueberry compote with suggestions of tar, sandalwood and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is reserved with lovely savory layers and a firm, grainy frame, finishing with great freshness.

I like this wine enormously and thoroughly recommend it. It’s structured and powerful on the attack, but if you take your time to let the wine relax in the glass, a lovely sweetness to the dark cherry and blackberry fruits becomes apparent, alongside a wonderful smoky quality that comes through from the soils – a mix of gravel, clay and silt. It shows once again that Merlot in the hands of the Moueix family turns into something entirely out of the ordinary.

Another tight and solidly structured Pomerol with dark-berry, chocolate and hazelnut character. Full-bodied yet reserved and polished. Serious is all I can say.

The 2018 Lafleur-Gazin is a wine of tremendous immediacy and appeal. Nothing really stands out, rather it is the wine's exceptional balance and overall harmony that leave a deep impression. Silky tannins wrap around a core of bright red cherry, raspberry, rose petal, mint and cinnamon in a gracious, mid-weight Pomerol that is all seduction.