2012 Château Lafleur, Pomerol, Bordeaux

Tasted blind at the Southwold 2012 tasting, the 2012 Lafleur has a very well-defined bouquet that is complex and laden with blackberry, granite, cedar and veins of graphite, all with razor-like precision. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation and lovely poise. There are plenty of graphite-infused black fruit interwoven into this Pomerol with a cheeky dab of spiciness on the finish that needs to manifest just a little more precision in order that it attains full potential. As usual, Baptiste, Julie and Jacques Guinaudeau have conjured a serious Lafleur destined for long-term ageing. Tasted January 2016.Neil Martin - 28/10/2016

Classic in style but racy and harmonious. Pure and expressive on the nose. Berry fruits with a hint of mint. Beautifully balanced on the palate and so, so long. Not the density of a 2005 or 2010 but perfect pitch.

54% Cabernet Franc (picked 6 October), 46% Merlot (23 September). Very dark with opaque core. Dusty/mineral (that's positive, almost white pepper) fragrance. Pure dark, elegant, restrained fruit. Incredibly silky and fresh and elegant. Doesn't have that papery grip of the Pensées. Very long given its delicacy – almost a lightness – on the palate. More and more fragrant as it opens up. julia_harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, 29 Apr 2013

Reminiscent of the 2001 Lafleur, the 2012 is supple and elegant as well as impressively pure, textured and medium-bodied, with sensual kirsch-like fruit intermixed with loamy soil, licorice and incense notes. While not particularly powerful, it possesses a deep ruby color with purple nuances, and is stunningly pure with no hard edges. This 2012 will be drinking well by age 5 or 6 (atypical for a young Lafleur), and should keep for 15 or more. Baptiste Guinaudeau, the young, tall proprietor of this tiny treasure on the Plateau of Pomerol, harvested his Merlot at a perfect moment, September 23, and finished with the Cabernet Franc on October 6, several days before a huge deluge inundated Bordeaux. He spoke of 46 straight days with no rain, which created hydric stress in parts of their vineyard. The final blend for the 2012 Lafleur was 54% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot. Yields were low, never having surpassed 40 hectoliters per hectare in over 30 years, even in abundant years such as 1990 and 1982. robert_parker - Wine Advocate - Apr 2013