1982 Lafleur
By Chateau Lafleur
1982 Lafleur from Chateau Lafleur, Pomerol, Bordeaux
In the grand pantheon of Bordeaux vintages, 1982 shines with an incandescent glow, declaring its glory through the passage of four decades. Amongst the constellation of remarkable offerings, the 1982 Lafleur from Chateau Lafleur emerges resplendent; a beacon of Pomerol’s venerable terroir.
A Vintage To Remember
The extraordinary conditions of 1982 bestowed upon us a bounty seldom replicated. With a serene growing season which avoided excesses and offered richness balanced by finesse, Chateau Lafleur manifested its profound expertise in their eponymous wine. When addressing the enthralling 1982 Lafleur, one is engaging with a piece of vinous history as much as a singular drink.
Sublime in structure and refined in articulation, 1982 Lafleur reveals the depths achievable by Merlot when it encounters a year as propitious as this one. The Cabernet Franc complements impeccably, providing a tannic backbone that has not only allowed for enviable longevity but has also enhanced its elegant structure.
The Patrimony of Pomerol
The attributes that define Pomerol - the iron-rich soil, the intimate scale of production, and the meticulous attention to viticultural craftsmanship - coalesce in the 1982 vintage like stars aligning. The poignant bouquet unfurls with dark fruit layers interlaced with truffle and hints of cigar box, arriving at a palate harmonious in its complexity and graceful maturity.
Wine investment acumen suggests that seeking out peerless vintages like this one remains a judicious strategy. As such, those poised to deepen their portfolio would do well to contemplate the enduring allure and finite supply of the 1982 Lafleur. Its sustained demand underscores every reason why strategic oenophiles covet it.
Summation: A Wine Of Epochal Grandeur
To be in audience with the 1982 Lafleur from Chateau Lafleur is to participate in a vinous ballet where each movement unfolds with admirable precision and depth. A storied vintage harmoniously embodied within a bottle; this iteration of Chateau Lafleur's artistry not only resides at the pinnacle of Pomerol’s expression but also epitomises an investible artefact in fine wine culture.
Market price (GBP)
£57,750.00
12x75cl
Highest score
100
POP score
2887.5
Scores and tasting notes
A wine with perfect balance and a harmony of fruit with a plum and shaved chocolate character. Full body with a dense and beautiful palate and ultra-fine tannins. Intense and racy with gorgeous fruit. Goes on for minutes.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com, August 14th 2013
The 1982 Lafleur, at least for my palate, while qualitatively no better than Mouton Rothschild, Latour, and La Mission Haut Brion, is off the charts in terms of the hedonistic and intellectual pleasure it gives me. I have only a few bottles remaining in my cellar, and this 1982 is still a young wine. The extraordinary intensity and purity of the kirsch liqueur and licorice, the remarkable opulence, the thickness and richness, yet the ability to seem fresh with laser-like precision are all things that must be tasted to be believed. This wine is showing a little bricking at the edge, but has off the chart concentration as well as a viscous texture and unreal purity and fruit. It is as close to some of the legendary 1947s that were produced in Pomerol as anything made in the last thirty years. This is a remarkable wine! Anticipated maturity: now-2030. Release price: ($325.00/case)
Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #183 June 2009
Tasted at Pebbles/Zachy's 1982 dinner in Hong Kong. The Lafleur '82 is normally a perfect wine for me an awarding it a 'paltry' 98-points is testament to how ethereal it can be. It has a fantastic bouquet, here showing more Cabernet Franc traits than other bottles with a pastille-like purity with an undertow of bacon fat and hot gravel. The palate is beautiful balanced, perhaps not exhibiting the same shimmering intensity of a perfect bottle, but still almost overwhelming in terms of structure and length. This is a truly magical wine even if it did not quite reach the stratosphere on this occasion. Tasted November 2012.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal Jan 2013