Lafleur 1982

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.

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.

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)