A very tight yet energetic Lafleur showing brambleberries, black olives, leather, lavender and orange peel. It's very primary with perfectly ripe grape character, particularly cabernet franc. Medium- to full-bodied, this has solid density, powerful intensity and totally resolved tannins. Rather weightless. What a wine. The new 1950? This needs time, at least until after 2030, to reveal its true greatness.

Blackberries, boysenberries, black raspberries, chocolate, cherries, liqueur, and a cornucopia of floral aromas build with each swirl and sniff. The palate offers intensity, opulence, power, depth, and viscosity. The levels of depth and concentration are off the charts, leaving you with an unctuous, seamless finish that leaves the 60-second mark in the rearview mirror. Like all great Lafleur vintages, this has almost unlimited aging potential, yet the wine can be enjoyed after about 5 years of bottle age. The wine blends 51% Cabernet Franc and 49% Merlot. 14.5% ABV. Drink from 2030-2065. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2022&wine=Chateau%20Lafleur

The 2022 Lafleur has turned out even better in bottle than I anticipated. Wafting from the glass with exotic aromas of mulberries, potpourri, iris, blood orange and incense, it's full-bodied, dense and layered, with a deep and multidimensional core of sweet, succulent fruit underpinned by velvety tannins, concluding with a long, expansive, rose-inflected finish. Élevage has brought a sense of harmony and classicism to the volume and richness that were already apparent en primeur, delivering a Lafleur for the ages. - William Kelley

Blueberries, blackcurrants, cherries, and floral notes with hints of liquorice, espresso, and dark chocolate. The palate is focused, structured, and tightly framed, with flawless tannins that are barely perceptible yet give immense poise. Vibrant yet restrained, this wine is built for the long haul, offering racehorse-like energy and streamlined texture. Initially electric, it becomes more seductive over time, revealing velvety chocolate, lilac, and a creamy, spiced backbone. A wine for contemplation, not for immediate drinking. Powerful, elegant, and profoundly structured.

Creamy blackberry, squid ink, cocoa bean, liquorice, crushed rose petals, intense, touch of soy, broth, clear salinity and grip. This is a well that you can fall into, could almost be io the Left Bank here because there is a sombre edge to it but as it opens, it shows its more joyful side, and this is a wonderful wine. As I said for the En Primeur sample, 'it provides a welcome sense of continuity in a vintage where the byword is excess'. 25% new oak for ageing, with the other 75% in barrels that were used at 9 months old after ageing the white wines. Harvest 7 and 17 September. Jean-Baptiste Guinaudeau owner and winemaker, along with an exceptionally invested team, harvest September 3 to 17.

The 2022 Château Lafleur is deep garnet-purple colored. After a swirl or two, notes of fresh plums, black currant jelly, and black raspberries slowly emerge, followed by hints of violets, forest floor, and cocoa powder with a waft of licorice. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house with a solid frame of grainy tannins and just enough freshness supporting the tightly wound black and red berry layers, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note.

(98+ points) The Grand Vin 2022 Château Lafleur checks in as 51% Bouschet (an older selection of Cabernet Franc) and 49% Merlot brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. It's a ripe, incredibly powerful Lafleur that has a rare mix of voluptuousness as well as a dense, structured core. Red and black currants, iron, bloody meats, truffly earth, and violet notes are just some of its nuances, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a broad, layered, expansive mouthfeel, tons of ripe, velvety tannins, and a great finish. It needs to be forgotten for a solid decade but will evolve for 30-40 years.

(98+ points) The 2022 Lafleur is a deeply impressive wine that is obviously in its primal stage. Very pure on the multi-faceted nose with layers of black fruit, graphite and truffle oil, it turns on its heel after 20 minutes to deliver more floral and violet scents. The palate is very harmonious with gentle grip but you can sure feel its weight in the mouth. The 2022 has a sense of completeness that will serve it well for long-term ageing. Outstanding. Tasted from ex-château magnum at Kate & Kon's 40-Year vertical in Austria. -- Neal Martin

The blend is 49% Merlot and 51% Cabernet Franc, and the élevage was in 30% new oak, and 70% second-fill oak previously used at Grand Village. A real sense of harmony here on the nose, with desiccated raspberry, currants, bramble and blackcurrant fruits, with pencil shavings and violets, the Cabernet character very clearly expressed here. That same feelings of harmony on the start of the palate, supple and tightly integrated, with a silky upper layer of fruits, over tightly knit, firm and lightly powdery tannins. Very stylish, with finely integrated texture and modestly finessed tannins which together lead to a long, warm, confident and peppery finish. The alcohol is 14.5% on the label, the lowest among all the Guinaudeau reds, although it is probably slightly higher on analysis.