2004 Lafleur

Jacques Guinaudeau has been responsible for the vinification here since 1985 (he began by renting the vines) and was able to complete the purchase of this fabled 4.5-hectare property at the end of 2002. (He is a nephew of the Robin sisters, who managed this property from the end of World War II through 1985.) As he got established here, he cleaned up the chai, kicking out the chickens that had previously run loose in the winery, and introduced temperature control in the cellar. Lafleur is a single parcel covering what Guinaudeau describes as "five soils," the most important of which are clay with gravel and clay with sand, located adjacent to Petrus and La Fleur-Petrus. Due to his relationship with J. P. Moueix, which markets a portion of the wine, Guinaudeau has been advised through the years by enologist Jean-Claude Berrouet, as well as by consultant Christian Veyry. During our tasting on a brilliantly sunny but chilly afternoon, Guinaudeau emphasized that one of the keys to Lafleur is his soft extraction. Guinaudeau believes that, until 2005 at least, 2000 is the best recent vintage for Lafleur because it was outstanding for both merlot and cabernet franc. He feels that the '98, in the view of many the finest Pomerol vintage since 1961, lacks a bit of power and concentration. "The merlot was great in '98 but the cabernet franc was only very good," he explains.