A marvelous Lafleur, full-bodied, with supple tannins, offering lovely mineral, earth and black fruit character. Smooth and ripe from start to finish.--Château Lafleur vertical.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 01/01/2003
Dark dense ruby/purple, with very little evolution to the color, Lafleur’s 1986 seems frozen in time, a structured, tannic, backward monster that still needs considerable cellaring. No matter how much airing I have given this wine, it does not ever seem to emerge from its cloak of tannin and structure. The fruit seems sweet, and the wine has Lafleur’s telltale notes of kirsch liqueur intermixed with raspberries, minerals, flowers, and truffles. The wine is medium-bodied, weighty in the mouth, but so, so tannic and backward. Will it ever blossom? Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035. Last tasted, 8/02.

One of the few Right Bank wines in this vintage that can stand up to the powerful Cabernet Sauvignon-based Medocs, Lafleur's 1986 is a structured, tannic, backward wine that needs another 5-8 years of cellaring. It possesses a jammy black cherry, herb, mineral, and earthy-scented nose, and dense, rustic levels of tannin in its full-bodied power, and richness. While it is not fun to drink, it sure is impressive. Will I always admire rather than enjoy this wine? Anticipated maturity: 2005-2030. Last tasted 7/97
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