Château Lafleur 2023
HK$ 8,940.07
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Lafleur is one of a small number of contenders for the title of wine of the vintage, and it's one 2023 that appears to surpass its 2022 counterpart. Wafting from the glass with aromas of blackberries, cherries and plums mingled with hints of licorice, violets and mint, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated core of lively, succulent, pure fruit framed by beautifully refined tannins, concluding with a long, fragrant finish. Its exquisite structure, intensity without weight and ineffable harmony mark it out as a great Lafleur, and one that will be worth a special effort to seek out. It's a blend of 56% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot.
Features
Type of wine
Pairings
Style
Occasions
Winery
Size
Appellation
Alcohol
14.5%
Grapes
Serving
Between 16ºC and 18ºC
Winemaking
Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (50% new ones).
Description
In the heart of the Pomerol plateau, on just 4.5 hectares, a wine is born that does not need any bragging rights or gilded labels to be considered a legend: Château Lafleur. This wine -which shares its name with the estate from which it originates- is a direct reflection of a place, a vision and a family that has always chosen loyalty to the terroir over the market. The property has been owned for generations by the Guinaudeau family, who have maintained a radical philosophy: minimum intervention, maximum precision.
The vineyard is divided into micro-plots planted on deep gravelly soils mixed with ferruginous clays, a unique composition even within Pomerol. Here, each row is thought of as a unit in its own right. The Château Lafleur blend is constructed from almost identical proportions of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, not as an arbitrary decision, but as a faithful expression of the vineyard's natural balance.
When many wineries gave in to the temptation of the Parkerised style, with over-extraction and new wood dominating, Château Lafleur stood firm. Jacques Guinaudeau and his family preferred silence to fashion, championing a wine that does not open easily, that demands contemplation and time, but when it does, it reveals a deep, mineral and structured world.
Winemaking
Château Lafleur is harvested by hand, selectively, almost surgically. The grapes are fermented separately in small stainless steel and concrete tanks, with indigenous yeasts whenever the vintage permits. Extraction is slow, guided by tasting rather than by formulas. After malolactic fermentation, Château Lafleur is transferred to 50% new French oak barrels, where it ages for 15 to 18 months. During this time it is clarified naturally, without filtration. Every gesture in the cellar is in the service of transparency, with no attempt at make-up or artifice.
Taste
The first taste of Château Lafleur is austere, even mysterious. On the nose, layers of graphite, damp earth, dried violets, black cherry and tobacco leaf appear. All with a mineral tension that points to its gravel and clay soils. The palate is deep, with a dense texture but nothing heavy. The Merlot adds flesh, the Cabernet Franc nerve, and the whole is built like a precise, almost mathematical architecture. Very fine tannins, lively acidity and a saline finish that elevates the wine. The persistence is monumental. It is a wine that does not seduce, it challenges. And that is precisely its power.
Shipping to Hong Kong
Estimated transit time: 3 working days.
| Bottles | Price | Complete box |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 bottles | HK$ 139.19 | 6 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 7-11 bottles | HK$ 139.19 | 12 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 13-17 bottles | HK$ 139.19 | 18 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 19-23 bottles | HK$ 139.19 | 24 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 25-29 bottles | HK$ 139.19 | 30 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 31-35 bottles | HK$ 139.19 | 36 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 37-41 bottles | HK$ 139.19 | 42 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 43-47 bottles | HK$ 139.19 | 48 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 49-53 bottles | HK$ 139.19 | 54 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 55-59 bottles | HK$ 139.19 | 60 bottles, Free shipping! |
Appellation Map
Château Lafleur 2017 - 37,5 cl.
HK$ 4,624.86
Other vintages: 2016
Other sizes: Magnum, 75 cl.