Lafleur 1995 (750ML)

98 WS / 97 DE / 96 VM / 95 RP

A '95 that exploded in the glass in contact with air. Solid and masculine, with dark chocolate and bitter mocha notes, there's big intensity here. While the tannins are burly for now, the aromas keep coming--rose petal, violet and currant backed by creamy, vanilla bean character. Elegant finish.--Château Lafleur vertical. Best from 2005 through 2015. 1,000 cases made. Wine Spectator

It has taken a long time for the '95 Lafleur to really open up and hit its stride, but now its time has come. This is showing a sumptuous bouquet of savoury sous bois and pencil lead, followed by ripe black fruits. The palate is no less impressive, with supple maturity and ripeness holding sway. The blackberry fruit is dry, bright and savoury, and interplays beautifully with the tree bark, truffle, tobacco and liquorice finish. The superbly ripe tannic structure is offset by a spine of fine, firm acidity. This is at a wonderful stage of development now, and it will continue to age for another decade with consummate ease. May 2018. - John Stimpfig, Decanter

Tasted at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting in London, the 1995 Lafleur was broadly the same as the bottle tasted the previous year. The nose is taut at first with perhaps just a tad blue fruit than previous bottles, unfolding with those enticing gravel and meat juice aromas that lend this so much complexity. There is wondrous delineation here and like before, there is a distant scent of wild mint, perhaps fennel that emerges after 30-40 minutes. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin that have taken two decades to fully melt. There is wonderful depth, gorgeous tertiary black fruit with hints of black truffle towards prolonged finish. The 1995 is best Lafleur of the 1990s. It is as simple as that. Feb 2018. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

A profound effort, the 1995's awesome, explosive nose of black currants, raspberries, and cherries, intermingled with earth and Asian spices is hard to ignore. Huge and full-bodied, with knock-out levels of fruit, extract, and glycerin, this wine reveals a sweet inner-core of fruit, as well as mouth-searing levels of tannin, and a dense, concentrated minerality that must be tasted to be believed. Given the micro-quantities produced, the 1995 Lafleur will be almost impossible to find, but it should prove to be one of the vintage's longest-lived efforts. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2035. - Robert Parker