Er zijn zo van die momenten om te koesteren. Door omstandigheden mochten wij in 2016 herhaaldelijke keren op bezoek op Lafleur. We konden het Achilleswerk gadeslaan en nu dus het resultaat aanschouwen. En aanschouwen is het. Volgens Baptiste Guinaudeau “kijkt 2016 in de ogen van 2015”. Statuesque schoonheid met allure, intensiteit en precisie. Als één van dé topwijnen van het jaar neigt Lafleur naar de mythische 100-punten score bij Antonio Galloni (97-100 “… simply has it all”), James Suckling (99-100) en Jean-Marc Quarin (99-100).
IN DE PERS
98+ Neal Martin – vinous.com (Januari 2019)
The 2016 Lafleur is a deeply serious Pomerol that is going to need considerable cellaring. Almost opaque in the glass, it has an almost overwhelmingly intense bouquet of blackberry, oyster shell and touches of graphite; quite strict, just as it showed at en primeur, and utterly compelling. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannin. A typically masculine Lafleur delivering firm grip, a lot of backbone and depth, wonderful mineralité and a persistent saline finish with the length of War and Peace. Cellar this Lafleur for at least 15 years if you want to witness it firing on all cylinders. Drink 2030-2080.
96-98 Neal Martin – The Wine Advocate Issue #230 - robertparker.com (April 2017)
The 2016 Lafleur is a blend of 45% Merlot and 55% Cabernet Franc picked 24-30 September and 11 October, matured in one-third new oak and around 14.3% alcohol. It has a very backward bouquet that demanded a lot of coaxing from the glass. Here there are introspective black fruit, a touch of shucked oyster shell and Japanese nori, opening reluctantly with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a saline entry, spicier than the 2015 Lafleur when I tasted it from barrel last year, edgy and minerally with a touch of truffle towards the persistent finish. This is a cerebral and yet vivacious Lafleur at this prenatal stage, a great Pomerol that will require a decade in bottle. Baptiste Guinaudeau appeared quietly confident about this latest vintage and he has every right to be. Do afford it plenty of cellaring, though, as it's not a 2016 to appease those without patience. Drink: 2026-2060.
99 Antonio Galloni – vinous.com (Januari 2019)
The 2016 Lafleur is an eternal, complete wine in which everything just seems to fall into place naturally. Creamy and voluptuous in the glass, with exceptional balance, the 2016 possesses superb textural intensity allied to soaring aromatics. Strong Cabernet Franc signatures give the wine brilliante and layers of saline-infused energy. Rose petal, mint, crushed flowers and dark red fruits abound, but it is the wine's total sense of completeness that is most astounding today. "I have to say, 2016 came totally out of the blue," Baptiste Guinadeau commented. "In 2010 and 2015 we had a pretty good idea of the kind of wines we were going to make during the growing season but in 2016 we really had no clue until harvest approached. It was only then that we started to get a sense of how the wines might turn out." Drink 2026-2066. Sleeper of the Vintage.
97-100 Antonio Galloni – vinous.com (April 2017)
There is not much to say about the 2016 Lafleur except that it is stunning. A Pomerol of extraordinary purity and finesse, the 2016 simply has it all. Cabernet Franc-inflected flavors pulse with energy in a vivid, sculpted wine that dazzles. Even with all of its aromatic and flavor explosiveness, the 2016 remains supremely graceful. Hints of rose petal, sweet herb and mint add the final shades of nuance. Readers will have to be patient with the 2016, but it is a jewel of a wine. Proprietor Baptiste Guinaudeau is among the growers who cited the small size of the berries, about 30% smaller than normal here, as one of the characteristics of the vintage.
99 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - robertparker.com (December 2019)
The 2016 Lafleur is blended of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot grown mainly on gravel over clay. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the nose begins by slowly releasing gorgeous, beguiling scents of truffles, black soil, crushed rocks and smoked meats, giving way to a beautiful perfume of red roses, dark chocolate-covered cherries, oolong tea and lavender with wafts of cigar box and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is completely coated with taut, tightly wound yet ethereally weighted layers of earth, mineral and perfumed black fruits, firmly fixed by very fine-grained tannins and great freshness, finishing very long and incredibly fragrant.
99 James Suckling – jamessuckling.com (Februari 2019)
99-100 James Suckling – jamessuckling.com (Maart 2017)
This is a young wine that just kicks off at the end with fantastic depth of fruit and intensity. Full-bodied, yet very tight and closed at first. Compact and powerful. Incredible power and structure.
99 Jane Anson – decanter.com (April 2017)
Lafleur manages to deliver extremely ripe fruits without being in the slightest bit sweet. You could almost be on the left bank if it wasn't for the silkiness of the tannins and the floral aspect on the aftertaste. Cabernet dominates at this stage, a gorgeous, sappy wine with huge, dense curls of liquorice and anis that spiral through the mouth as this wine stretches endlessly out in front of you. Layers of flavour change every minute; first coffee and black chocolate, then tightly fleshed out black fruits, then some Pomerol glamour. Hard to wipe the smile off your face when tasting this! 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. 98-100 points. Drink: 2027-2050.
98 Jeannie Cho Lee – jeanniecholee.com (April 2017)
No. 2 in Top 10 Right Bank Bordeaux. An explosive aroma of violets, red plums and blackberries with hints of savory herbs and subtle spices. The palate is velvety, focused, pure with lifted flavors that go on and on. The flavors dance on the palate with dense, ripe tannins and freshness in the background. 45% Merlot and 55% Cabernet Franc.
19/20 Jancis Robinson - jancisrobinson.com (Februari 2020)
18,5/20 Jancis Robinson – jancisrobinson.com (April 2017)
55% Cabernet Franc picked 11 October, 45% Merlot picked 24 and 30 September. Deep crimson. Deeper and more concentrated than Pensées but less immediately seductive on the nose therefore. Very rich and sweet on the palate. Very rich and ripe. Velvety texture. Nervy too. Easy to see the Cabernet Franc here. Massive fruit over the tannins. Liquorice. Some violets and exotic notes. Really quite serious. Dense and a wine to have a conversation with. Minerally finish. Drink: 2028-2045.
99 Tim Atkin – timatkin.com (April 2017)
Always one of the most refined and nuanced wines in Bordeaux, this is just a whisker away from perfection in 2016. Fresh, scented and alluring, with fine-boned tannins, silky, palatecaressing fruit flavours, bright acidity and stylish oak integration. 2026-38
98-99 Bettane & Desseauve (April 2017)
18,5-19,5/20 Revue des Vins de France (April 2017)
99-100 Jean-Marc Quarin – quarin.com (April 2017)
18-19,5/20 Gault & Millau (April 2017)
GuinaudeauJacques en Sylvie Guinaudeau en nu hun zoon en schoondochter, Baptiste en Julie, staan aan het roer van Lafleur. In Pomerol staat deze legendarische wijngaard bekend als «le vignoble-jardin ». Lafleur is eigendom van hun familie sinds 1872, één jaar na de stichting van Vyncke-Daels…
Lafleur is een mythe en één van de allergrootste wijnen van Bordeaux. Hij is diep, intens, karaktervol en cerebraal. Omwille van zijn zeer beperkte productie (om en bij de duizend kistjes) is het cult- en knuffelgehalte bij verzamelaars wereldwijd bijzonder hoog. Naast Petrus heeft Lafleur waarschijnlijk het mooiste terroir van Pomerol, ook al rekent Lafleur voor 65% op Cabernet Franc om de droom werkelijkheid te maken; bij Petrus draait het om 100% Merlot. Samen brengen ze de allerbeste Pomerols en dat met de regelmaat van een klok.
Julie en Baptiste wonen op Lafleur, en Sylvie en Jacques op Grand Village in Mouillac nabij Fronsac (ze maken er een knappe rode en een vibrante witte Bordeaux). Op de weg tussen Grand Village en Lafleur startten ze in 2009 een nieuw avontuur met "G de Guinaudeau" die ze graag bestempelen als "een grote wijn in wording". Onlangs werkten ze zelfs met Sauvignon Blanc druivenstokken uit Sancerrre om een piepkleine productie witte wijn te maken die de naam kreeg « Les Champs Libres ».
Het mag tegenstrijdig lijken maar de familie Guinaudeau zijn perfectionisten met een laissez-faire attitude. Hun inborst en werkwijze toont hoe je het hoogste niveau kan bereiken van op drie verschillende terroirs.
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