Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The complexity on the nose is so mesmerizing with subtle smoke, dried meat and plums. Full-bodied with so well integrated and ultra-fine tannins, the wine shows composure and greatness. it goes on for minutes. Harmony. Grace. Wonderful wine. Second wine of Lafleur. Better in 2023.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The second wine from this estate is also brilliant and doesn’t give much to its bigger sibling. The 2016 Pensées de Lafleur offers a gorgeous bouquet of mulberries, cassis, and damp earth that flows to a medium to full-bodied 2016 that has more than a hint of the character, elegance, and purity that the estate’s grand vin is known for. With flawless balance and an utterly seamless texture, drink this brilliant second wine any time over the coming 20-25 years
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Decanter
This has astonishing tannic presence for a second wine, and yet the individual strands are so soft and silky. It is more perfumed and softly fruited than Lafleur at this stage, rising in your mouth with a mouthwatering succulence on the finish. 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc from 0.7ha. 3.5pH. The biggest production volume for four years.
Barrel Sample -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Blended of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Pensées de Lafleur opens with bold, tantalizing notes of crushed black cherries, wild blueberries and plum preserves with hints of kirsch, violets, dark chocolate and licorice with a waft of forest floor. Medium-bodied, the palate is amazingly elegant for the intensity of fruit with beautifully ripe, finely grained tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing long and layered.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A source of exceptionally sensual and glamorous red wines, Pomerol is actually a rather small appellation in an unassuming countryside. It sits on a plateau immediately northeast of the city of Libourne on the right bank of the Dordogne River. Pomerol and St-Émilion are the stars of what is referred to as Right Bank Bordeaux: Merlot-dominant red blends completed by various amounts of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. While Pomerol has no official classification system, its best wines are some of the world’s most sought after.
Historically Pomerol attached itself to the larger and more picturesque neighboring region of St-Émilion until the late 1800s when discerning French consumers began to recognize the quality and distinction of Pomerol on its own. Its popularity spread to northern Europe in the early 1900s.
After some notable vintages of the 1940s, the Pomerol producer, Petrus, began to achieve great international attention and brought widespread recognition to the appellation. Its subsequent distribution by the successful Libourne merchant, Jean-Pierre Mouiex, magnified Pomerol's fame after the Second World War.
Perfect for Merlot, the soils of Pomerol—clay on top of well-drained subsoil—help to create wines capable of displaying an unprecedented concentration of color and flavor.
The best Pomerol wines will be intensely hued, with qualities of fresh wild berries, dried fig or concentrated black plum preserves. Aromas may be of forest floor, sifted cocoa powder, anise, exotic spice or toasted sugar and will have a silky, smooth but intense texture.