| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This wines was incredibly tannic and backward from cask, but out of bottle it has shrugged off the excess tannin and seems to be developing far better than I thought it would. The color is dense/rub purple, and the wine shows notes of sweet kirsch and blackberry liqueur, with a liquid minerality and a hint of violets. The wine is full-bodied, quite tannic, very dense and backward, but gorgeously concentrated, pure, and intense. This looks to be a classic Lafleur, meant for significantlong-term ageing. Anticipated maturity 2015-2040+.
Tasted at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting in London, the 1998 Lafleur has long been an excellent wine although here, compared directly to Le Pin and Petrus, it must suffice with a bronze medal. It has a disarming peppery bouquet with very expressive Cabernet Franc, perhaps spicier than a few years ago, a faint vein of Valrhona chocolate in the background. The palate is governed by firm tannins and it comes across as edgy and moody, to wit, a "gangster" Lafleur, so temperamental! It feels tightly coiled at first but then eases up towards the grippy finish with Earl Grey plus a light charcoal note lingering on the aftertaste. It is a fascinating, multi-faceted Pomerol that is charting its own course. By that I mean that it could turn into a legendary 1998 or it could remain a curmudgeon its entire life. Only time will tell. 2018 - 2050
Paler than most. Much more familiar Pomerol nose than its three precedents 1-3. Lively, rich, quite mineral on the palate with vivacious transparence. But it’s more developed than most. Quite long. Not a great bottle.
Tasted from an ex-chateau bottle at the Lafleur vertical dinner at Attersee in Austria. I cannot believe how long it is since I last encountered this 1998 Lafleur! I am not quite as enthused as when I first tasted it back in 2004. Deep in colour, one notices a very rich, opulent bouquet that has a lactic tincture. This subsides in the glass to reveal touches of creme de cassis, blueberry and hints of dark chocolate. The palate is full-bodied, rich and powerful, although analyzing the wine against the 2001, one notices less tension and delineation, more glycerine on the 1998. It is a “sexy” Lafleur, but I am not quite sure if that fits comfortably with its signature style. I am sure others might like it more than myself and I would be able to understand why, even if I would not agree. Tasted June 2012.
