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Wine Description
The Story
Between the estates of Pétrus and La Fleur-Pétrus, amid vineyards, stands a stone house with closed shutters. The road that winds to the house between the vine rows has no signs or indications as to the name of the place. The construction looks more like a maintenance shed for the neighbouring estates than the main building of a winery. However, this is a house that makes one of the most desirable wines in Bordeaux: Château Lafleur.
Lafleur’s wines form an interesting contrast to their neighbour, Pétrus. Their terroirs differ significantly, even though the distance between them is only 50–100 metres. Whereas Pétrus is more seductively rich, full-bodied and intense, Lafleur is charming in its elegance, femininity and subtlety.
Lafleur’s wines are delightful, but they do require aging for at least twenty years in order to display their full, nuanced character. Guinaudeau’s investments into improving quality in all of Lafleur’s functions promise an even better future for the friends of Lafleur. Although tasting the 1947, 1950, 1961, 1975 or 1982, one can only wonder whether Lafleur’s wines could get any better?
Wine Information
Jacques Guinaudeau leads us into the vineyard. He excitedly praises the uniqueness of the 4.5-hectare estate.
“Lafleur is a single-vineyard wine with exceptional terroir qualities. Firstly, it is located on a very gentle amphitheatrical slope to the north of Pétrus. The soil is clearly more gravelly and brown than the red clay at Pétrus. A comprehensive soil analysis in 1998 found that the estate comprises as many as five different types: the northwest has brown gravel, the south is more clay-based and sandy gravel, and the east has sandy clay with some gravel. In the middle is a mixture of all of those. These have completely different conditions in terms of the grapes’ ripening, size and concentration. The concentration is also affected by the old vines, with their average age of thirty years. The oldest vines actually go back five decades. We work the vineyard as four different plots, even though they go towards a single wine. We grow two varieties, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, but the differences in soil result in very different grapes within each variety. This diversity is the secret to Lafleur’s greatness,” Guinaudeau explains. Weaving between the densely planted vine rows, Jacques goes on: “The vineyard has around 8,000 vines per hectare. Through dense planting we aim not only to increase the grapes’ concentration, but also to protect them from direct sunlight. This is in order that we can ensure the refined style of our wines that results from their fresh fruitiness and crisp acids.”
Due to the terroir factors mentioned above, harvesting and winemaking are done in many phases. A separate wine is produced from each of the four microterroirs. The grapes are picked in many stages and vinified separately for each plot. Guinaudeau keeps track of this multiphase process with the help of a squared-paper notebook. In it he logs when each plot’s grapes are picked the vats in which they end up.
Vintage 2005
Bordeaux Vintage Report 2005 is a truly fantastic vintage with great quality across the board on both the Left and Right Banks.
The 2005 vintage became the most anticipated since 2000. The early market was heated and prices skyrocketed. The cold winter delayed bud break before the warm, dunny spring broke through. Even the vegetative growth and flowering gave a perfect start to the vintage. The summer turned out to be one of the driest ever, avoiding disaster, as the weather remained reasonably warm and not excessively hot like in 2003. The soil once again becomes a decisive quality factor. Gravelly areas, such as Graves, were hardest hit once again. In other words, you should expect quality wines.
For a short-term perspective, in the next two years, an excellent quantity of mature Bordeaux red wines will be available on the market. The 2004, 2002, 1999, 1994, 1992 and 1988 vintages offer a wide selection of wines that are pleasant to consume immediately or at most to store for a short period.
As investments, the best vintages of the last 35 years are 2018, 2016, 2010, 2009 ,2003, 1996, 1989, and 1982. The safest long-term investments are Latour, La Mission Haut-Brion, Haut-Brion, Le Pin Lafite and Pétrus.
Over the past 35 years, Bordeaux has experienced a substantial change in winemaking. Modern equipment and developing know-how have guaranteed more uniform quality. It appears that the next challenge will be dealing with extreme climates, including slow global warming, which has already given hints of its effects also in Bordeaux. It is impossible to say how Bordeaux wines will evolve over the next 35 years. We can only hope that their most characteristic trait, the elegant aristocratic nature underlined by a unique terroir, will never disappear.
Bordeaux Vintage Report 2005 est un millésime vraiment fantastique avec une grande qualité à tous les niveaux sur la rive gauche et la rive droite.
Le millésime 2005 est devenu le plus attendu depuis 2000. Le marché des primeurs a été chauffé et les prix ont grimpé en flèche. L’hiver froid a retardé le débourrement avant que le printemps chaud et dunny ne se brise. Même la croissance végétative et la floraison ont donné un début parfait au millésime. L’été s’est avéré être l’un des plus secs de tous les temps, évitant la catastrophe, car le temps est resté raisonnablement chaud et non excessivement chaud comme en 2003. Le sol redevient un facteur de qualité décisif. Les zones graveleuses, telles que Graves, ont été les plus touchées une fois de plus. En d’autres termes, il faut s’attendre à des vins de qualité.
Pour une perspective à court terme, dans les deux prochaines années, une excellente quantité de vins rouges de Bordeaux mûrs sera disponible sur le marché. Les millésimes 2004, 2002, 1999, 1994, 1992 et 1988 offrent une large sélection de vins agréables à consommer immédiatement ou tout au plus à stocker pendant une courte période.
En tant qu’investissements, les meilleurs millésimes des 35 dernières années sont 2003, 1996, 1989, 1986 et 1982. Les investissements à long terme les plus sûrs sont Latour, La Mission Haut-Brion, Haut-Brion, Le Pin et Pétrus.
Au cours des 35 dernières années, Bordeaux a connu un changement substantiel dans la vinification. Des équipements modernes et un savoir-faire en développement ont garanti une qualité plus uniforme. Il semble que le prochain défi sera de gérer les climats extrêmes, y compris le réchauffement climatique lent, qui a déjà donné des indices de ses effets également à Bordeaux. Il est impossible de dire comment les vins de Bordeaux vont évoluer dans les 35 prochaines années. Nous ne pouvons qu’espérer que leur trait le plus caractéristique, l’élégante nature aristocratique soulignée par un terroir unique, ne disparaîtra jamais.
Recommended glass shape
Average Bottle Price
| 2017 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 328€ +11.9% | 1 187€ +11.2% | 1 067€ +8.9% | 980€ -5.2% | 1 034€ -12.1% | 1 176€ +18.9% | 989€ |
This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.