2022 Château Lafleur

The 2022 Lafleur is shaping up to be majestic. It is a wine of tremendous stature. All the elements are so well put together that nothing in particular stands out. There’s tremendous depth to the 2022, and the tannins are almost nonexistent. Cabernet Franc (Bouchet) inflections soar out of the glass to play off a deep, resonant dark fruit core. Mocha, dried herbs, menthol and rose petals add an exotic flair on the substantial finish. “We have to adapt to each vintage and essentially forget the past,” Baptiste Guinaudeau told me at Lafleur. “We opted for longer macerations, with no pigéage and fewer pumpovers than most years.”

-  Antonio Galloni (04/2023)

A deep, gourmand vintage for this singular estate, the 2022 Lafleur unfurls in the glass with aromas of mulberries and cherries mingled with hints of rose petal, iris, orange zest and vine smoke. Full-bodied, layered and enveloping, it's pure and seamless, with supple tannins, huge depth at the core and a long, resonant finish. One of the most characterful as well as most consistent wines produced in contemporary Bordeaux, it will surely emerge as one of the vintage's high points.

- William Kelley (04/2023)