Made of 62% Cabernet Franc and 38% Merlot, the deep garnet colored 2010 Lafleur features cedar chest and kirsch notes to begin, unfurling to offer baked plums, boysenberries, sandalwood and licorice scents plus a waft of pencil lead. Full-bodied, the palate is very taut and muscular, with slowly maturing red and black fruits and a solid frame of firm, ripe, grainy tannins, finishing long and mineral laced. LPB

The 2010 Lafleur is showing a lot of Cabernet Franc on the nose. It is supremely well defined with incredibly clarity and terroir expression. You could almost mistake it for a Left Bank. Figeac? The palate is precise and detailed, touches of burnt toast and white pepper sprinkled over the persistent and structured finish that does not miss a step. Brilliant.

The 2010 Lafleur is showing a lot of Cabernet Franc on the nose. It is supremely well defined with incredibly clarity and terroir expression. You could almost mistake it for a Left Bank. Figeac? The palate is precise and detailed, touches of burnt toast and white pepper sprinkled over the persistent and structured finish that does not miss a step. Brilliant.

The 2010 Lafleur is a Pomerol that has long flirted with perfection. Even after 8 years the bouquet is still tightly wound and backward, yet extraordinarily pure with scents of blackberry, wild hedgerow, a touch of gravel and iodine. Yet, these are fleeting glimpses of the bouquet to come. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, masculine and almost surly in personality and yet, utterly compelling. There is layer upon layer of spicy black fruit intermixed with white pepper and sage, with aeration developing a haunting sense of precision and silky texture that leaves you urging for a second sip. This is just magisterial. Tasted at the Christies’ Lafleur masterclass in London. www.vinous.com 99+ points

Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2010 Lafleur put in an absolutely no holds barred astonishing performance. Lafleur is wont to improve in bottle and this is certainly the case apropos the 2010. It has a boisterous ripe blackberry, cranberry, sous-bois and graphite-scented bouquet that is an absolute beauty. Power mixed with quite brilliant precision, you almost want to laugh at its sheer audacity. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin; there is immense depth and wonderful cohesion. Mineral-drenched black fruit, a slightly chalky texture and outstanding energy and tension on the finish - this is a magnificent Pomerol from the Guinaudeau family. Tasted December 2016. 99 points

99+ points

Bright ruby. Captivating nose combines blackcurrant, blackberry syrup, vanilla, minerals, dried rose, violet and white pepper; the cabernet franc element (roughly 54% of the blend) really comes through. Sweet and pliant on entry, then more austere in the middle, with penetrating but youthfully reticent flavors of dark berries, minerals, coffee reduction, cocoa and tobacco leaf. With its rather silky texture, good breadth and restrained sweetness, this 2010 offers considerable early appeal but has the structure to last several decades. Finishes subtle and gripping, with a rising, palate-dusting finish featuring notes of smoke, herbs and flowers. This stellar wine will go down in memory not just as one of the greatest Lafleurs in memory, but of all Bordeaux. For me, it's also the wine of the vintage right now.

Packed, with a charcoal frame and hints of alder and mesquite offering an impressive, aromatic profile, while flavors of crushed plum, warm linzer torte and blackberry preserves form the massive core. Dense, chewy and velvety, this features a riveting iron note and enticing tobacco accents that help to expand and lengthen the finish. JM

(a blend of 62% cabernet franc and 38% merlot; 3.7 pH) Good, deep ruby-red. Deep, brooding but lively aromas of raspberry, strawberry, violet, licorice and minerals, plus an element of chocolate mint. Bright and fresh on entry, then shows a steely, austere quality to the strawberry, raspberry, tar and iodine flavors. Distinctly less floral and forward than the 2009. Strongly mineral on the long, pure back end, with ultrasmooth tannins; in fact, I would say that Lafleur's are the finest, most polished tannins of all in 2010. This is destined to be very long-lived. Incidentally, Baptiste Guinaudeau couldn't recall if any previous vintage of Lafleur had such a high percentage cabernet franc. My early candidate for wine of the vintage, along with Latour. Ian D'Agata

14.2% [62CF/38M] Rich and dense, slightly herbal Cabernet Franc character to smell; rich, elegant, firm middleweight with a vigorous acidity, concentrated in its fragrance as well as its delicately expressed fruit; ripe, vivid, strongly mineral infused raspberry fruited elegance, very gravelly, very tenacious, and with a terrific fruit and mineral perfumed length. Typical Lafleur blend of power and delicacy along with a defining 2010 sinew. 2025-45+ [M.Schuster, Bordeaux Mar/Apr 2011] (14%)

The paradox of Bordeaux is that some of the greatest vintages are almost unapproachable until they are 20 years old or more. 2010 almost certainly qualifies to be in that bracket, and no one would say this is ready to drink yet (head to Les Pensées for a good few years yet). But at 10 years it practically runs you over with its brilliance the second you get anywhere near it. This is intense with lashings of tannins yet finely wrought and elegant. Power without weight, loaded with graphite, olives, sage, rosemary and violets. This really shows how expansive Lafleur can be, and yet without the slightest trace of heaviness, this is suspended over the glass. So much nuance, texture and layers here - an utterly amazing wine from a year that had a cool early season then turned hot right through until harvest, but always with fresh nights. A standout that makes the most of its high Cabernet Franc content.
Tasted by Jane Anson (at The Landmark Hotel London, 02 Nov 2019)
Part of Producer profile: Château Lafleur

This red shows such beautiful and ripe aromas of blackberries, orange peel, hazelnuts, and tropical fruits. It's full-bodied, with superb texture of polished tannins that are velvety. The length last for minutes. It's muscular yet elegant. It flexes it muscle yet pulls them back. What gorgeous tone to this young red. Try in 2020.