The 1995 Lafleur was bought and served blind by Baptiste Guinaudeau at a dinner in Saint-Émilion. It's not dissimilar to the bottle drunk in 2018. On the nose, there is black fruit with graphite and game hints. Given that it is now 27 years old, the 1995 is maturing at a glacial pace. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins that loosen up with aeration. With blackberry, black truffle and a touch of smoke, this Lafleur exudes Cabernet Franc on the finish. I thought that it might be ready to drink now, but this suggests it would be better to wait. Tasted in Bordeaux. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — 4 days ago
Dark purple. Plum and blackberry on the inviting nose. Lush, full-bodied palate confirms the nose adding light graphite. Medium acidity and velvety medium tannins. As before, an excellent example of an excellent year from a top tier appellation. What's not to love? Drink now through 2029 or so. — 19 hours ago
The nose, with dark and red cherry, plum, balsamic, iron, and pencil shavings, is not as perfumed as I expected. Medium to full. Though with excellent acidic and tannins structure, the palate is quite austere and lacking a bit of fruit concentration. Not sure how much it will improve with further aging. — 7 days ago
Young looking ruby , medium wide ruby rim . Quite open for business, lovely undergrowth , earthy , touch of tar, cassis, fresh dark plum , granite . On the palate lovely savoury red and dark fruits , grafite . Lovely quite gritty tannin still . Refreshing acidity and Very long length. Great now but will go on for many years on this level . — 19 days ago
When your dad wants to open a birth year wine he’s been sitting on for nearly 3 decades and impress your winemaker boyfriend…
My first taste of this iconic wine and it didn’t disappoint. I mean look at that color… it’s still so deep and bright. For a moment I worried it might have been a fake (that’s wayyy to much pigmentation for an almost 70 year old wine) but then again it was so good that even if it was a fake I didn’t care.
Decanted for hours and was still opening up over the course of the meal showing more fruit as the night went on (blackberry, ripe plum fresh and dried), lots of leather, tobacco and cedar. Black truffle as expected.
Will it ever live up to the hype? Never. But was it really friggin’ good? YES!!! — 12 days ago
The 2017 La Conseillante has firmed up in recent months. This bottle was decanted for a couple of hours, and to be frank, I had reckoned on it being more open. More fool me! This is tight and intense on the nose, beautifully defined yet clearly shutting down. The firmness that I alluded to in my previous note is more accentuated, and as such, I would give this several years before broaching. (Neal Martin, Vinous, January 2023) — 4 days ago
CL
Nose: Dark cherry, black currant, a touch of cinnamon, gravel.
Flavor: Lighter body than most Bordeaux. Sweet up from. Lots of dark fruits. Long finish with leather. Stronger on the alcohol.
Strong, but not overwhelming tannins. Medium acidity.
Overall: Good, but not great. Would try a different bottle before buying again. — 17 days ago