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Tasted at Justerini & Brooks agency tasting in London. I absolutely adored the Château Lafleur 2004 when I first tasted it from barrel. Now with a decade on the clock, it is beginning to truly fulfil its promise as one of the wines of that vintage. It has a deep garnet hue. The nose demonstrates a sense of energy married with outstanding delineation: blackberry, blueberry and freshly shaved black truffle. The palate is extremely focused and tense, the acidity perfectly judged, and though the growing season perhaps curtails the sustain on the finish, there is coolness and a nonchalance here that is captivating. There remains some adolescent broodiness here, but give it another 3-4 years and you will have a great Pomerol and a great Lafleur on your hands. Tasted February 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95 RP-NMSubtle yet complex aromas of raspberry, dark chocolate and flowers follow through to a full-bodied palate, with ultrafine tannins and a long, caressing finish. Very refined and pretty, with a solid core of fruit. Hard not to drink now. This is really seamless in texture, with fabulous tannins. Best after 2010. 1,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSGood dark red. Currant, minerals, graphite and nutty oak, along with some funkier notes of leather and musky tobacco. Supple, deep and fine-grained but with a cooler character than the 2005. Less black and more red in character than the 2005, throwing off notes of raspberry, mocha, coffee, leather and underbrush. Finishes with substantial, slightly edgy tannins. This one will be fascinating to follow.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Showing consistently with another recent bottle, the 2009 Château La Fleur-Petrus (90/10 Merlot and Cabernet Franc aged in 50% new oak) offers a deep, layered bouquet of blackberries, plums, chocolate, dried flowers, and earth. A big, voluptuous, opulent example of this cuvée, with a power-packed, deep, rich style, it has ripe tannin and a huge finish. This tour de force shows how impressive the 2009 vintage was for Bordeaux. Drink this sensational wine anytime over the coming 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDEven with considerable youthful characteristics, this stunning, open-knit 2009 is quite approachable. This fabled terroir sandwiched between Petrus and Lafleur (hence the name) generally produces one of the more elegantly-styled Pomerols, but in 2009 it offers an extra dimension of flavor intensity as well as more texture and concentration. It reveals a super-seductive perfume of mocha, loamy soil, herbs, black cherries and black currants, truffles and licorice, full body and velvety tannins. The overall impression is one of intensity, power, glycerin and richness as well as undeniable elegance and laser-like focus. This 2009 can be drunk now or cellared for another 25-30+ years.Robert Parker | 97 RPHard to find the start and finish here, as the layers of boysenberry, raspberry and plum compote are seamless and incredibly long. Really spherical in feel, with flecks of bergamot, blood orange and iron on the surface and full fruit underneath. The grip that showed on release has been fully absorbed, and I doubt this will ever shut down. This has fruit to burn, but is conserving itself on cruise control rather than turning bombastic.—Non-blind La Fleur-Pétrus vertical (December 2015). Drink now through 2035. 4,300 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSJust across the road from Pétrus, la Fleur-Pétrus shares some of the same intensity. There is great fruit here, rounded and powerful with the ripest character. It is open, generous, ready to drink. The tannins lead into the purest acidity, letting the fruit sing.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEBrimming with blackberry and sandalwood aromas this is a very seductive 2009. On the palate this is self-confidently dry, sleeker and more linear than the nose suggests. Very firm finish for a Pomerol of this age. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 95 JSLa Fleur-Pétrus had not begun its restoration phase in 2009 - that got underway in 2012, with the inclusion of new, high quality plots and the splitting off of any parts of the vineyard below the Pomerol plateau. But this is still exceptionally good quality, just a little less complex that you would expect from the estate today. There's a lovely smoky edge to the nose, while on the palate, brushed tannins join brambled, pureed fruits, tobacco and tar. Full of Pomerol pleasure and appeal. Drinking Window 2020 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2009 La Fleur-Pétrus is tightly wound on the nose at first with plenty of black truffle infused red fruit, crushed rose petals and veins of dark chocolate, but it does not quite possess the amplitude of say, the 2009 Le Gay. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grip and good tension. Pure red and black fruit intermingle with balsamic and white pepper notes, displaying fine precision and length. This Pomerol gets better as it goes along, but I feel that the aromatics need to just up their game. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VM

(Château Lafleur, Pomerol, Red) In a difficult vintage like 2013, reassuring hands are what you look for, those with an instinctive ability to tease out the best possible from the character of the year. Weather wise things were pretty much the opposite of 2003, making for another interesting pairing in this line-up - where that was earliest harvest on record this was almost the latest, with everything brought in during October (unlike 2003 where every grape came in during September). The result here is not about weight but lift, nuance and sculpted berry fruits. It has a more softly spoken key than the 2010 or 2002, quite clearly, but there is complexity here, teased out in layers of medium-bodied but pure cassis and blueberry fruits. It’s a clear testament to the possibilities of this estate. (Drink between 2021-2045)Decanter | 95 DECVery pretty aromas of rose petal, lavender, black cherry and hot stone. Full body, firm and silky tannins and a long and enduring finish. A beautiful red for the vintage. Very LafleurJames Suckling | 95 JSThe 2013 Lafleur was one of my favorite wines from barrel because, as Baptiste Guinaudeau remarked when I visited the property, he did not try to make a Pomerol beyond what it could be. The nose might not possess the complexity of the best vintages of Lafleur, but it is clearly delineated and fresh, with blackberry and raspberry fruit, a subtle granitic scent tucked underneath. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannin, as is often the case for Lafleur, with crunchy red berry fruit and a stony, almost reserved but fresh finish that lingers nicely in the mouth. This is an excellent wine considering the growing season.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMThe 2013 Lafleur, from the infamously maligned growing season, was picked entirely in October. It has a light and slightly monotone bouquet with mulberry and blackberry scents, a touch of briary and floral scents. The aromatics are nothing to be ashamed of. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, more Merlot than Cabernet Franc-driven, balanced if missing the complexity of most vintages from this esteemed Pomerol growth. Not bad, however it is not a long-term prospect and lacks the cerebral element that Lafleur often brings to the table. Tasted at the Christies’ Lafleur masterclass in London.Vinous Media | 90 VM