Region | |
---|---|
Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
Tasted at a vertical at the property, the 2005 La Fleur de Gay is still backward and a little surly on the nose, like many in this vintage, offering glimpses of blackberry, black truffle and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with thick chewy tannins, very dense and powerful, but still broody. There is patently a lot of ripeness towards the finish with its almost honeyed texture and the finish is a little terse. But it does possess superb definition and breeding. Leave this for 10-12 years. Tasted June 2011.
Reminiscent of a grand cru Burgundy, La Fleur de Gay’s 2005 exhibits pure black raspberry fruit intermixed with truffle and kirsch notes. As the wine sits in the glass, toast and charcoal aromas also emerge. This opulent, medium to full-bodied, exceptionally pure Pomerol boasts laser-like precision and finesse. Give it 7-8 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25 years
Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Lightly meaty on the nose. Transparent and juicy. Maybe not that serious but extremely ‘pleasant’ and fresh. 14%
Drink 2015-2025
Medium red-ruby. Full-blown nose offers plum, musky coffee, mocha, meat, tobacco and toasty oak. Sweet and fat on entry, then musky and a bit funky in the middle, offering flavors of dark plum, chocolate, game and oak. Today I don't find the fleshy substance of the vintage's better examples, and the finish shows a slight oaky dryness. A bit sauvage too.
Came 53rd out of 184 wines
As I wrote last year, this is unquestionably the finest La Fleur de Gay produced since the back-to-back vintages of 1989 and 1990. A 100% Merlot cuvee cropped at a low 28 hectoliters per hectare, it has put on even more weight and richness since 2006. There are approximately 1,000 cases of this brilliant Pomerol that exhibits a dense ruby/purple color as well as a sweet nose of black raspberries, blueberries, charcoal, truffles, and subtle espresso and toasty oak notes. Full-bodied, beautifully textured, opulent, and fleshy with exceptional precision as well as clarity, this fabulous effort will need 5-7 years of bottle age, and should drink well for 25 or more years.
Perhaps the finest La Fleur de Gay made since the brilliant back-to-back vintages of 1989 and 1990, this 100% Merlot cuvee, aged in 100% new Darnajou French oak barrels and bottled unfiltered, reveals superb elegance and minerality. Its saturated blue/purple color is accompanied by beautiful blueberry, raspberry, and licorice characteristics backed up by spicy oak. The wine is noble and racy as well as powerful, full-bodied, and deceptively tannic. It will require 3-4 years of bottle age, and should last for two decades.
Rich and voluptuous with quite a bit of meat extract and softness. Much more forward than most but a good drink. Note drinking dates!