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Wine Description
The Story
Les Pensees de Lafleur is the second wine of the highly rated Chateau Lafleur; a Bordeaux winery based in the Pomerol appellation, on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, France. Located in the Gironde department, it is an unclassified wine (like all wines from this region) yet is a highly rated luxury wine, amongst the world’s elite. Year after year, Chateau Lafleur produces top wines always commanding high prices at auctions and sales.
Les Pensees de Lafleur which is the secondary wine of Chateau Lafleur has been in production since the year 1984 and is commonly regarded as an ‘insider’s secret’ throughout the wine industry. The wine estate of Chateau Lafleur spans a mere 4 hectares and produces around 750 cases a year of Les Pensees de Lafleur. In total, the Chateau has an output of just under 2,000
Robert Parker, America’s leading wine critic: “one of the most distinctive, most exotic, and greatest wines – not only in Pomerol, but in the world.”
Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve, France’s most famous wine authorities: “The wine amply deserves its high prices.”
Michael Broadbent, doyen of British wine tasters: Not that much because the wine is so rare, although he did comment about the 1950, “Concentrated, certainly very impressive. But who wants to go to bed with a wrestler?”
Stephen Browett of Farr Vintners, Britain’s biggest fine wine trader: “The greatest wine I ever had was a magnum of Lafleur 1947 from John Avery’s private cellar, even though it was served alongside the famous Cheval Blanc 1947.”
Vintage 2010
Drought and cool temperatures contribute to optimal ripeness
The sum of summer temperatures in 2010 was close to that of summer 2009 (962°C compared to 982°C), but significantly colder than those of 2005, which totaled 1052°C. These cool temperatures had a substantial influence on the balance of our wines, preserving a good level of acidity and an attractive aromatic freshness.
Very little precipitation (only 267 mm) from March to August 2010 generating a drought of similar intensity to that of 2005, when only 227 mm of rain fell.
Another characteristic of the 2010 vintage is the low temperatures especially during the first three weeks of August, which allowed good acidity levels to be preserved in the grapes while maintaining an attractive aromatic freshness.