A dark and heady nose, bramble fruits and spice, coffee and blackcurrant nuances. Gorgeous texture that stands out immediately, this is succulent but not overtly mouthwatering. Serious and broad shouldered, there's a meatiness to the texture with grippy tannins but still with a velvet like quality that have such presence in the mouth. This feels so expressive but also so controlled - spherical and fleshy but with a background of iron, wet stone and graphite. Finishes direct and poised, focussing the palate to a long mineral-edged lingering taste. Such complexity, I love this wine.

Unwinding in the glass with aromas of raspberries, violets, rose petals, Egyptian musk and spices, the 2019 Pensées de Lafleur is full-bodied, layered and velvety, with a deep, fleshy, concentrated core of fruit, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. Derived from vines growing in the part of Lafleur's vineyard through which a water course once flowed and where the soils are richer in clay and better hydrated, it's a blend of more or less equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot; this bottling hasn't really been a "second wine" since the late 1990s—but the market doesn't seem to have caught on. For now, it remains the best way to experience the Guinaudeau family's magic touch in Pomerol, for the price of a good Médoc second growth.

The 2019 Pensées De Lafleur is the second wine of Château Lafleur, but instead of being a declassification, it comes from a narrow band of deeper clay soils that run diagonally through this magical vineyard. Always close to an even split of Cabernet Franc and Merlot (although I suspect there's more Cabernet Franc in this blend), it has a deeper, blacker fruited style compared to the Grand Vin, with beautiful notes of black cherries, currants, damp earth, iron, and smoked tobacco. Beautiful on the palate as well, it's medium to full-bodied, rich, nicely concentrated, and beautifully balanced on the palate, and while it might not hit the magical status of the top wine, it's a singular, beautiful wine in its own right that goes well beyond a second wine. It will keep for 20-25 years.

Flinty, smoky reduction on the first nose, but as soon as you hit the palate you get a punch of intensity, power, bitter dark chocolate. This starts with the seductive feel of Pomerol with luscious black cherry and liquorice, then the Bouchet/Cabernet Franc grip comes in and the austere purity to the fruit is pushed to the fore. Harvest 21 and 30 September, just two days.

The 2019 Les Pensées de Lafleur has a very perfumed, violet-scented bouquet with red fruit, touches of baking powder and garrigues -like scents in the background. Wonderful. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly powdery texture and a keen thread of acidity to counterbalance the richness and precocity on the finish. A worthy follow-up to the excellent 2018 Pensées. Tasted from ex-château magnum at Kate & Kon's 40-Year vertical in Austria.

The 2019 Les Pensées de Lafleur is a dense, powerful wine that really shows the intensity of the drought in its super-concentrated, dark fruit. This imposing Pomerol is going to need at least a few years in bottle to open. In this tasting, it is incredibly reticent.

55% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc. Barrel sample. Pretty floral nose. Delicate but controlled. Sumptuous palate, full, round with a generous volume of fruit and silky-fine tannins. Balanced by a pervading freshness, the finish salivating and firm. More typically Pomerol than Lafleur. (JL)

Tasted blind. Bluer than most. Warm and gamey. Rich and sweet and beguiling on the palate with a little curranty flavour. Long. (JR)