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Lafleur 1998

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Franc

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Label

Tasting Notes

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+.

94
Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (4), December 2003

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.

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, March 2006
Read more tasting notes...
93
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (Mar 03), March 2003
90
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (134), April 2001
89/92
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (128), April 2000
91/93
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (122), April 1999

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.

94
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, September 2013
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.