2022 Château Les Perrières de Lafleur

The 2022 Les Perrières is heady and explosive right out of the gate. Inky dark fruit, leather, incense, grilled herbs, tobacco and espresso saturate the palate. The blend of equal parts Merlot and Bouchet (Cabernet Franc) offers tons of complexity. Graphite, crushed rocks, menthol and sage all take shape in the glass. In 2022, vintage speaks a bit stronger than site, but this is still outstanding. Beams of tannin punctuate the persistent finish. Les Perrières is essentially genetic material from Lafleur planted in Fronsac. Its quality and price make Les Perrières a major sleeper and the wine to buy in this range from the Guinaudeau family.

- Antonio Galloni (01/2025)

This is linear, with racy and refined tannins that take you very long, with energy at the end. Medium-bodied and very polished with a racy finish. Subtle brine and berry character at the end. Hint of citrus rind, too. Lots of vibe to this. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years. (01/2025)

The 2022 Les Perrières De Lafleur is stunning stuff, with another level of purity and precision. Darker cherries, blue fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and crushed stone notes define this sensational 2022. It's medium to full-bodied, has a focused, layered, elegant mouthfeel, building tannins, and a great finish. It brings another level of purity, precision, and elegance over the Grand Village and is going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and have two decades of prime drinking. (02/2025)

The 2022 Les Perrières de Lafleur is the broadest, most unctuous rendition of this wine to date, but it retains its taut, minerally identity for all that. Offering up aromas of mulberries, violets and pen ink, it's medium to full-bodied, rich and incisive, with terrific depth and persistence. As readers will remember, Les Perrières derives from parcels situated on the higher-altitude plateau of Fronsac, planted with vine material from Château Lafleur.

- William Kelley (03/2025)