2009 Pensees de Lafleur, Pomerol

This is a wine for sensualists and hedonists, but to be honest I defy anyone not to fall for this vibrant, joyful wine. It's a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot that's supremely sleek and succulent without being in any way overblown. Deeply coloured, it feels saturated in pure bilberry, damson and blackberry fruit, with liquorice and coffee bean hints on the long, creamy, floral finish. What’s more, there is refreshing acidity here which provides lift, life and balance alongside the plush, pliant tannins. A delicious and irresistible wine which has plenty of life left in it.

The 2009 Pensées de Lafleur, 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot, has a very intense, fruit-driven bouquet with a touch of liquorice developing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin, menthol-tinged black fruit with a slightly medicinal, highly enjoyable finish that fans out nicely. You can drink this now, but it has the substance to last another decade. Tasted at the Christies’ Lafleur masterclass in London.

The Guinaudeau family has produced what is arguably their finest wine at Lafleur in 2009. A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc from a portion of the vineyard that sits in a swale, the 2009 Les Pensees de Lafleur has terrific purity, a serious level of concentration, impressive notes of melted licorice and kirsch liqueur, and a full-bodied mouthfeel. While its tannins are soft, the wine boasts plenty of glycerin and leaves an impressive tactile impression. Drink it over the next 20-15 years.

Tasted blind. Some mint and lots of red fruit. A bit of tamarind and stewed character – so not very fresh, distinct flavours. Salty. Rather dry on the end. Inky. (JR)