Chateau Lafleur Pomerol 2022

Chateau Lafleur Pomerol 2022

Château Lafleur is a tiny (4.5ha, 11 acres) family-run property in the Pomerol appellation on Bordeaux’s Right Bank. Its grand vin of the same name, a combination of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, is known for its concentration, creamy texture, intense black fruits and spicy character. 

The wine is also powerfully structured and needs more cellaring than most wines in the appellation. In the best vintages it can last half a century.

Critical Acclaim

100 James Suckling

A very tight yet energetic Lafleur showing brambleberries, black olives, leather, lavender and orange peel. It’s very primary with perfectly ripe grape character, particularly cabernet franc. Medium- to full-bodied, this has solid density, powerful intensity and totally resolved tannins. Rather weightless. What a wine. The new 1950? This needs time, at least until after 2030, to reveal its true.

100 Wine Advocate

The 2022 Lafleur has turned out even better in bottle than I anticipated. Wafting from the glass with exotic aromas of mulberries, potpourri, iris, blood orange and incense, it’s full-bodied, dense and layered, with a deep and multidimensional core of sweet, succulent fruit underpinned by velvety tannins, concluding with a long, expansive, rose-inflected finish. Élevage has brought a sense of harmony and classicism to the volume and richness that were already apparent en primeur, delivering a Lafleur for the ages.

99 Vinous

The 2022 Lafleur is a wild, exotic wine. Totally mind-bending, Lafleur completely defies any of the conventional definitions of Pomerol. The aromatics alone are mesmerizing. Red plum, blood orange, espresso, rose petal, crushed rocks and spice all soar out of the glass. The Bouchet (Cabernet Franc) is so expressive here. Even with all of its intensity, the 2022 remains light on its feet. There is simply no other wine like Lafleur on the Right Bank. Magnificent.

98 Jeb Dunnuck

Moving to the Grand Vin, the 2022 Château Lafleur is 51% Bouschet (an older selection of Cabernet Franc) and 49% Merlot brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. It’s a concentrated beast of a wine offering incredibly purity in its red, blue, and black fruits as well as notes of spring flowers, minty herbs, graphite, and chocolate. Full-bodied on the palate, it has a great mid-palate, building tannins, and a straight, focused, inward style that’s going to demand significant bottle age.