2000 Pensees de Lafleur, Pomerol

When this was made Pensées was thought of as a second wine, but that doesn’t really do this effort justice, especially in 2000. Today it's showing beautifully, with vivid red and black fruits, juicy acidity and a hugely appealing savoury tobacco character. The ripe, round tannins are meltingly delicious and frame this young and vital wine which is just beginning to drink well now. It's sweet, plump and savoury on the long, mellow, meaty finish. This has plenty of time until it really hits its peak, and it's a supremely elegant, complex claret with real Pomerol poise and presence.

The 2000 Pensées de Lafleur, an equal blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, has a very attractive bouquet with blackberry, incense and iris, moving towards secondary aromas such as dried blood and a touch of orange rind. This feels very fresh in the mouth, cohesive with a savory undercurrent. This is quite foursquare for Pensées, not quite as exuberant and intense as the 2005 with a grainy, peppery finish. Tasted at the Christies’ Lafleur masterclass in London.

Bright medium ruby. Reticent aromas of blackberry, black cherry and bitter chocolate. Dense, chewy and slightly medicinal, with ripe but cool flavors of black cherry and mint. A bit tannic and clenched today.

Mid blackish ruby. Very gorgeous nose – recalls the Lafleur 2000. Very complete and gorgeous with perhaps just a little less depth and length. Lovely juicy Cabernet spine.
JR - May 2018