Chateau Lafleur 2011

JAMES SUCKLING: "Complex aromas of blackberry and whole white truffles with hints of wet earth and stones. Full body and structured with gorgeous, velvety tannins, but reserved and polished. Very long finish with fabulous fruit. Goes on for minutes. This is all class: the red wine of the vintage. Better in 2019."

WEINWISSER: "Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Kompaktes Bouquet, süsse, kleine, reife Beeren, Früchtetee, Granatapfelkerne, Tabak, Schokound Trüffeltöne, öffnet sich nur ganz langsam und zeigt dabei immer mehr Schichten, zum Schluss weist er auch florale respektive blumige Töne (Cabernet Franc!) auf. Fleischiger Gaumen, kompakt, verlanverlangend, deutliche Adstringenz, genial ausgerichtet und mit einem sensationell vielversprechenden Potenzial für diesen Jahrgang, klingt minutenlang nach."

DECANTER: "This Lafleur effort in 2011 is truly stupendous and once again shows the greatness of its terroir. This was one of the driest vintages on record here and the berries were incredibly small, giving concentrated juice. The extraction, however, has been done with great skill, and the wine is beautifully fresh, balanced and textured. Deeply coloured, the primary black fruit nose builds and builds in the glass. A blend of 53% Cabernet Franc and 47% Merlot, there's real depth and complexity with plush, polished tannins and a concentration of delicious dark fruits - plum, mulberry and damson - joined by touches of dark chocolate, cured meat and spice. It's still very much in its first flush of youth and is not even close to being broached."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung. Mit zarten ätherischen Nuancen unterlegte schwarze Beerenfrucht, ein Hauch von süßen Gewürzen, etwas Brombeeren und Lakritze, dunkle Mineralik, Orangenzesten. Straff, dunkles Beerenkonfit, präsente Tannine, finessenreicher Säurebogen, Herzkirschen, steinig, salzig im Abgang, feine Extraktsüße im Nachhall, bleibt lange haften, ein klassischer Lafleur."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "A contender for wine of the vintage, the wine offered layers of ripe, richly textured, plums, truffle, mocha and black cherry. For Lafleur, a wine that often needs 2 decades before it's fun to drink, this will start drinking well by the time it's 10 years of age."