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I am almost always in awe of Lafleur and this is one of the best. This is so subtle at first, but then the enchanting aromas of olive leaves, ivy, licorice, tar and treacle wash over you. In your mouth it’s as if you’re putting exquisite, dusty velvet inside; the tannins make this wine round, fat and encompassing. Perhaps most startling of all is the freshness retained over the years despite the intense, dense fruit. It allows not only for a chewy finish, but one that makes you want to drink more. This has reached a plateau now and is perfect for drinking, though its tightly-knit structure implies yet more potential cellaring. I’ve always been a believer in the 1989 vintage, and Lafleur is one of the best. Decant two hours in advance.James Suckling | 99 JSReally decadent and powerful, delivering dried fruit and grilled meat. Very Porty, featuring red licorice and prune on the nose. Velvety and rich, with a full palate and amazing fruit of aniseed and black licorice. It goes on and on. What freshness and beauty. Delicate fruit, chocolate and berries. This is just opening up now.—’89/’99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now. —Wine Spectator | 98 WSTasted at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting in London, the 1989 Lafleur was perhaps the real surprise of a memorable evening of wine. What comes across on the nose is the detail, the precision with pure black fruit, crushed minerals, subtle floral scents and a palpable sense of energy. It evolves in the glass, later revealing smoke, Italian cured meats and a touch of bay leaf. The palate is simply crystalline with pitch perfect acidity, astonishing precision and laser-like focus that takes your breath away. I have never encountered a 1989 Lafleur with this detail and clarity, a wine that seems to improve every time I encounter it, which is regrettably once in a blue moon. Whilst I do not think the 1989 will surpass the 1982 Lafleur, my God, it is coming damn close.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe 1989 Lafleur, tasted side by side with the 1990 on two occasions in 2002, plays it closer to the vest. The wine needs far more coaxing to produce the licorice, black cherry liqueur, earth, and truffle notes from the nose. In the mouth, the wine is full-bodied, tannic, backward, and very tightly knit, with mouth-searing levels of tannin and extremely high extract. The tannins are firmer, the fruit seemingly less sweet, but still extremely ripe, and the evolutionary process is far slower in the 1989 than the 1990. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2045. Last tasted, 8/02.Robert Parker | 95 RP

The 1998 Trotanoy displays a deep garnet-purple color. Wow. Tons of gregarious fruit springs from the glass—crème de cassis, blackberry pie, blueberry compote and mincemeat with suggestions of cigar box, chargrilled meat, incense, earth and dried cherries plus a touch of dried flowers. Medium to full-bodied, it coats the palate with bags of rich, plush textured fruit, offering layer upon layer of exotic spice and savory flavors, finishing epically long and layered. This is mind-blowingly delicious!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RP(95% merlot and 5% cabernet franc; 3.72 pH; IPT 71; 13.5% alcohol): Bright ruby-red with a hint of garnet at the rim. Knockout deep, nuanced nose of blackcurrant, red cherry, violets and truffle. Supple, broad and full in the mouth, with smoky blackberry, caramel and spicy pepper flavors. The finish is long and silky, with ultrasmooth tannins and a lingering mineral note. This impeccably balanced wine is utterly irresistible already. "An exceptional wine and one of the best examples of Trotanoy ever," according to Jean-Claude Berrouet. I couldn’t agree more.Vinous Media | 97 VMVery sweet, plummy fruit on the nose, with hints of milk chocolate and spices. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a big, juicy palate. A subtle wine that builds on the palate. It’s sort of like a weight-lifting ballerina. Give this big wine time. Really impressive.--’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2012.Wine Spectator | 97 WSLast tasted in June 2019, and almost two years later this remains an exceptional wine, showing no signs of flagging. A full array of cloves, black pepper, black cherry, truffles, opulent cigar box and creamy chocolate, and given definition and reined in by firm tannins and still fresh acidities. Needs decanting and easily has another 15 years ahead of it. (Drink between 2021-2038)Decanter | 97 DEC(Château Trotanoy (Pomerol)) The 1998 vintage of Trotanoy is one of the legends in the making at this great estate, and all that is needed for this wine is an additional ten to twelve years of bottle age to allow the wine to fully blossom. This is an utterly classical vintage here, offering up a deep, pure and still youthful bouquet of red and black plums, black cherries, gravelly soil tones, cigar wrapper, incipient smokiness and a nice touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and utterly seamless, with a rock solid core of fruit, fine-grained tannins and outstanding focus and grip on the very, very long, nascently complex and captivating finish. This is clearly an old school vintage of Trotanoy that follows my “thirty year rule” for this property’s greatest wines, and is aging at an even more leisurely pace than I anticipated when I last drank a bottle in 2013 and is consequently, still many years away from truly blossoming. But, it will be utterly profound in the fullness of time. (Drink between 2030-2100).John Gilman | 96 JGNo written review provided. | 94 W&S