Chateau Lafleur   Lafleur

1986 Lafleur

By Chateau Lafleur

1986 Lafleur from Chateau Lafleur, Pomerol, Bordeaux

When one thinks of the illustrious wines of Pomerol, the 1986 Lafleur from Chateau Lafleur immediately commands attention. This vintage distinguishes itself with aplomb, thriving in a year that presented challenges yet yielded extraordinary fortitude and complexity in its top wines. It was a year that required a deft touch by vignerons, and at Chateau Lafleur, this was displayed in spades.

 

Meticulous Crafting: A Harbinger of Quality

In a year marked by climatic peculiarity, it's the meticulous crafting that characterises the 1986 vintage at Chateau Lafleur. The growing season saw variable conditions, with early dry spells transitioning to cooler weather around harvest. Such variability necessitated keen judgement in vineyard and cellar alike. That sagacity is expressively bottled in this Lafleur offering—asserting an opulence one has come to expect from a wine of such profound lineage.

 

Terroir and Time: The Epicurean Accomplice

The assembly of Merlot and Cabernet Franc has rarely been as harmonious as found within this particular bottle. The 1986 Lafleur presents an amalgamation of rich dark fruits, truffles, and earthy elegance—a reminisce of the estate's cherished terroir. The impressive structure on the palate intimates that this vintage has reached a crescendo of maturity while still hinting at layers unpeeled, continuing to evolve with grace.

The 1986 Lafleur from Chateau Lafleur lays out a tasting experience that intrigues investors and connoisseurs alike. It harmoniously blends depth with finesse, striking balance between fruit intensity and tannic backbone—a testament to its investment-worthy praise.

 

An Ensemble of Elegance and Investment Poise

Investment in fine wine demands a partnership of both pleasure and prudence; the 1986 Lafleur provides precisely this alliance. Neither overawed by the years nor retreating into obscurity, it entices with each uncorking event—an unfurling saga scribed by the storied soils of Pomerol. Herein lies an exceptional chapter in Bordeaux's anthology, reverberating through cellars with the assuredness only time-endowed wines exude. In sum, the 1986 Lafleur from Chateau Lafleur not only conjures a rapture on the palate but resonates as an astute addition to any refined investment portfolio.

Current market price

$9,610.00

12x75cl

Highest score

92

POP score

481.67

Scores and tasting notes

92+

Dark dense ruby/purple, with very little evolution to the color, Lafleur's 1986 seems frozen in time, a structured, tannic, backward monster that still needs considerable cellaring. No matter how much airing I have given this wine, it does not ever seem to emerge from its cloak of tannin and structure. The fruit seems sweet, and the wine has Lafleur's telltale notes of kirsch liqueur intermixed with raspberries, minerals, flowers, and truffles. The wine is medium-bodied, weighty in the mouth, but so, so tannic and backward. Will it ever blossom? Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035. Last tasted, 8/02.

Robert Parker Jr - Bordeaux Book, 4th Edition Jan 2003

88

Tasted at Benoit restaurant in New York. This bottle is similar to the ex-chateau example opened in Austria less than one year earlier. It has an unchallenging bouquet with dusty aromas, touches of forest floor, wild mushroom and here a little more leather than I recall. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, the Cabernet Franc as usual, more expressive and driving this Lafleur more than the Merlot. It is a masculine wine that has always refused to compromise. My concern is that it is beginning to dry out, so I advise drinking this vintage in the near future, whereas the 1983 and 1985 will last much longer. Tasted April 2013.

Neal Martin - Wine Journal Nov 2013

Vintage performance