Les Pensees de Lafleur 2020 (750ML)

A blend of 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Pensees de Lafleur comes from the clay plots in the Lafleur vineyard. Deep purple-black in color, it is a little subdued to start, requiring a good shake to wake up notes of licorice, chargrill, fertile loam, and dark chocolate, giving way to a core of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, and cast-iron pan. The palate is full-bodied and densely packed with layer upon layer of black and blue fruit accented by earthy and mineral nuances. It is framed with exquisitely ripe tannins and lovely freshness to restrain the opulent fruit, and finishes on a lingering ferrous note. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

Aromas of earth, spice and crushed stone with chocolate. Blood and iron. Black truffle. Medium to full body. Very primary fruit with a tightness and focus. Juicy and flavorful. Give it four to five years. Better after 2026.-James Suckling

The 2020 Pensées de Lafleur unwinds in the glass with deep aromas of cherries, raspberries, crushed mint and black truffle. Full-bodied, layered and velvety, with a broad and enveloping attack that segues into a deep and rather taut mid-palate, it concludes with a long, penetrating finish. As usual, this isn't a second wine, per se: it derives from vines growing in the part of Lafleur's vineyard through which a watercourse once flowed and where the soils are richer in clay and better hydrated, and the Guinadeau family like to refer to it as more stereotypically Pomerolais than Lafleur itself. The 2020's tension and structure, however, mark it out as the most Lafleur-like Pensées of recent years. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

The 2020 Les Pensées has a somewhat flamboyant bouquet with very pure black cherries, iodine, blueberry and a touch of glycerin. Wonderful definition. It seems to "grow" in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a structured opening, almost Left Bank in style, just a hint of dark chocolate infusing the black fruit, a healthy dash of black pepper with gentle grip towards the mineral-driven finish. This is a seriously fine Pomerol that will give 20-30 years of drinking pleasure.-Neal Martin, Vinous Media

Checking in as 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc from more clay soils across the estate vineyard, the 2020 Pensées De Lafleur has a classic Pomerol-like style in its darker blue fruits, iron, damp earth, and leafy herb-driven aromatics. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, tight, closed, yet incredibly promising Pomerol that deserves 5-7 years of bottle age and will keep for at least two decades. It’s easy to think of this cuvée as a second wine, but the reality is that it comes from the same vines every year, and if anything, it's a more classic Pomerol compared to the more singular, exotic Château Lafleur. - Jeb Dunnuck

Savoury nose full of chocolate, dark fruits, herbs and menthol spice - deep and dense with sweet violet aromas too. Power and the density, generous, charming and open - fruit forward with dark liquorice, cool blue fruit and clear salinity. I love the hint of juiciness and the liquorice aspect, it’s serious, brooding and layered but at the same time so discrete and so well delivered - polished to perfection. Characterful and intense but so moreish.-Georgina Hindle, Decanter

Generous aromatics, richly textured, powerful and earthy, signature Pomerol with the deft touch of Lafleur. Opens wide and generous and then tightens and grips. This is a gorgeous wine filled with black cherry, damson, mocha, orange zest, all with a whisper of aniseed bitterness that stops the fruit from being overly sweet. - Jane Anson, Decanter

Tasted blind. Very dark crimson. Ripe black fruit, a deep leafy note without being green. Chewy yet refined tannins. All in place, all harmonious. Beautifully balanced.-Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson