Pensees de Lafleur 2019 (750ML)

97 JS / 97 DE / 96 WA / 95 JD / 94+ WI / 94 JA

The purity here is so clear, with perfumed and floral aromas. Extremely aromatic. Violets and some iodine, too. Full-bodied and creamy with a fantastic, layered texture of tannins and notes of tile, dark chocolate and nutmeg. Closes at the end. Try after 2026. Will age beautifully. - James Suckling

A dark and heady nose, bramble fruits and spice, coffee and blackcurrant nuances. Gorgeous texture that stands out immediately, this is succulent but not overtly mouthwatering. Serious and broad shouldered, there's a meatiness to the texture with grippy tannins but still with a velvet like quality that have such presence in the mouth. This feels so expressive but also so controlled - spherical and fleshy but with a background of iron, wet stone and graphite. Finishes direct and poised, focussing the palate to a long mineral-edged lingering taste. Such complexity, I love this wine. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

Unwinding in the glass with aromas of raspberries, violets, rose petals, Egyptian musk and spices, the 2019 Pensées de Lafleur is full-bodied, layered and velvety, with a deep, fleshy, concentrated core of fruit, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. Derived from vines growing in the part of Lafleur's vineyard through which a water course once flowed and where the soils are richer in clay and better hydrated, it's a blend of more or less equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot; this bottling hasn't really been a "second wine" since the late 1990s—but the market doesn't seem to have caught on. For now, it remains the best way to experience the Guinaudeau family's magic touch in Pomerol, for the price of a good Médoc second growth. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

The 2019 Pensées De Lafleur is the second wine of Château Lafleur, but instead of being a declassification, it comes from a narrow band of deeper clay soils that run diagonally through this magical vineyard. Always close to an even split of Cabernet Franc and Merlot (although I suspect there's more Cabernet Franc in this blend), it has a deeper, blacker fruited style compared to the Grand Vin, with beautiful notes of black cherries, currants, damp earth, iron, and smoked tobacco. Beautiful on the palate as well, it's medium to full-bodied, rich, nicely concentrated, and beautifully balanced on the palate, and while it might not hit the magical status of the top wine, it's a singular, beautiful wine in its own right that goes well beyond a second wine. It will keep for 20-25 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Pensees de Lafleur storms out of the glass with broody scents of black soil, tar, and licorice over a core of ripe plums, boysenberries, and redcurrants, plus a waft of underbrush. Full, concentrated and taut in the mouth, it has firm, ripe, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with a lingering mineral lift. 1987 was the first vintage of this second label - no Lafleur was made that year. This 2019 is a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Bouchet (Cabernet Franc). - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

Flinty, smoky reduction on the first nose, but as soon as you hit the palate you get a punch of intensity, power, bitter dark chocolate. This starts with the seductive feel of Pomerol with luscious black cherry and liquorice, then the Bouchet/Cabernet Franc grip comes in and the austere purity to the fruit is pushed to the fore. Harvest 21 and 30 September, just two days. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux