The tiny estate of Château Lafleur neighbours the great Château Petrus in Pomerol, and the 1998 Bordeaux vintage was a year in which this appellation excelled as the star of the show in the entire Bordeaux region.
Lafleur sits comfortably amongst the handful of Pomerol estates considered to produce some of the finest wines available anywhere in the world, and with just 4.5 hectares, demand for Lafleur invariably exceeds supply. I was thrilled, therefore, to receive a tiny allocation of just a few bottles, and the temptation to open one, despite its youthfulness, proved impossible to resist!
Of course, this is still an incredibly young bottle, possibly a little too young in fact to drink now, but sometimes you just can’t hold off, and it was intriguing to experience enticing hints of what will surely be a glorious wine when it reaches full maturity…
A deep, dark ruby colour, with an exotic, floral nose behind the aromas of cherry, cassis and other red and black fruits. Hints of eastern spice and savoury leather in the background contribute nicely to an inviting, smooth and rounded weight of fruit on the palate. The texture is almost creamy and there is a lovely cedary spice in evidence. This is still very primary however, and whilst being extremely enjoyable now, I look forward with even greater anticipation to trying a bottle in about five or six years. The pedigree is clear to see.
