The depth and concentration of the vintage meant that Lafleur remained fiercely closed for a number of years, emphasising even more than usual how different it is from many of its Pomerol siblings. Today it is uncurled and impossible to ignore. Still an intellectual take on this most exceptional of Pomerol vintages, complex and subtle with wisps of cold ash and flint against a richer blackberry cushion of fruit, richly textured but still firmly in control. Now inching towards its full expression, tantalisingly close and sure to deliver this level of brilliance for decades to come. 50% new oak.
Tasted by Jane Anson (at Bordeaux, 07 Sep 2020)
Part of A 'monumental' tasting of Petrus, Le Pin and Lafleur 1998 and 1999

Black truffles, with intense ripe blackberry and black cherry. Superperfumed. Very spicy, with brown sugar and meaty undertones. Full-bodied, with supertight, powerful tannins and a long and rich finish. This is a weight lifter on the palate for its muscular tannins, but it finishes with finesse and beauty. Wow.--'88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). James Suckling

It’s been almost 8 years since my last tasting of this wine. It was worth the wait. The boatload of flowers, truffles, cherries, red plums, kirsch liqueur and wet earth on the nose had me hooked. But it was the supple-textured, rich, full, deep pool of ripe cherries and plums on the palate that stole the show! This is a unique Pomerol that should be tasted at least once as there is nothing else like it… Tasted Dec 2021

This bottle of 1998 Lafleur exudes such mineralité on the nose that it is rendered more distant and less appeasing to the senses than the 1999 Lafleur. However, there is undeniably brilliant delineation with almost flint-like scents filtering through the black sultry fruit. It is certainly less opulently gregarious than bottles tasted within the first decade of its life. The palate is medium-bodied with tannins just beginning to soften, less demonstrative than bottles encountered previously and less “sexier”. I guess you could say that this is a Lafleur that has “grown up” in recent years but it has something up its sleeve for those prepared to wait another decade. The 1998 is one for the more patient amongst readers. Tasted at the “International Wine & Business” Lafleur dinner at Ten Trinity, London.

This wine was incredibly tannic and backward from cask, but out of bottle it has shrugged off the excess tannin and seems to be developing far better than I thought it would. The color is dense/ruby purple, and the wine shows notes of sweet kirsch and blackberry liqueur, with a liquid minerality and a hint of violets. The wine is full-bodied, quite tannic, very dense and backward, but gorgeously concentrated, pure, and intense. This looks to be a classic Lafleur meant for significant long-term aging. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2040+.