1 double-magnum per lot
Details
LAFLEUR 1990
Vintage note: An excellent vintage with similar attributes to the '89 but certainly not an identical twin. First, the growing conditions. January to March unusually warm and sunny, up to 25 degrees on 24 February, advancing vegetation. Beneficial rain in April, followed by a very hot, dry and sunny May. The flowering was uneven and prolonged, satisfactory for the Merlots, less so for the Cabernet Sauvignon. July was excessively hot, up to just short of 39 degrees on the 21st. This heat had a reverse effect, hindering maturation by impeding the rising of the sap. August was warm and dry. Unlike 1989 this did not deter the ripening, as a well-timed sprinkling of rain in September enabled the grapes to be harvested from around mid-month. In general, the Merlots were in remarkable condition with some of the highest levels of sugar ever recorded. The later ripening Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were small and thick, with a concentration of juice and colouring matter. M.B.
Tasting Note: The 1990 Lafleur is equally powerful, muscular, and super-concentrated, but the tannin is riper as well as better-integrated, resulting in a phenomenally extracted wine revealing the 1990 vintage's overripeness. There are copious amounts of sweet black-cherry fruit. One taster remarked, "why does this wine taste so much like Rayas (the renowned Grenache-based Châteauneuf du Pape)?" There is an unreal reality to such a comment, largely because both producers tend to pick their fruit at an overripe stage, producing an exotic, compelling wine. Despite its size, the 1990 Lafleur is more developed than the 1989, but it will easily be as long-lived given its massive weight, viscous texture, and profound mouthfeel and finish. It needs 5-10 more years of cellaring and will last for four decades. Both of these vintages rival the great Lafleurs of 1982, 1979, 1975, 1950, 1947, and 1945. 97 Points, Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 109 (Feb 1997)
Château Lafleur--Vintage 1990
Pomerol
1 double-magnum per lot
Vintage note: An excellent vintage with similar attributes to the '89 but certainly not an identical twin. First, the growing conditions. January to March unusually warm and sunny, up to 25 degrees on 24 February, advancing vegetation. Beneficial rain in April, followed by a very hot, dry and sunny May. The flowering was uneven and prolonged, satisfactory for the Merlots, less so for the Cabernet Sauvignon. July was excessively hot, up to just short of 39 degrees on the 21st. This heat had a reverse effect, hindering maturation by impeding the rising of the sap. August was warm and dry. Unlike 1989 this did not deter the ripening, as a well-timed sprinkling of rain in September enabled the grapes to be harvested from around mid-month. In general, the Merlots were in remarkable condition with some of the highest levels of sugar ever recorded. The later ripening Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were small and thick, with a concentration of juice and colouring matter. M.B.
Tasting Note: The 1990 Lafleur is equally powerful, muscular, and super-concentrated, but the tannin is riper as well as better-integrated, resulting in a phenomenally extracted wine revealing the 1990 vintage's overripeness. There are copious amounts of sweet black-cherry fruit. One taster remarked, "why does this wine taste so much like Rayas (the renowned Grenache-based Châteauneuf du Pape)?" There is an unreal reality to such a comment, largely because both producers tend to pick their fruit at an overripe stage, producing an exotic, compelling wine. Despite its size, the 1990 Lafleur is more developed than the 1989, but it will easily be as long-lived given its massive weight, viscous texture, and profound mouthfeel and finish. It needs 5-10 more years of cellaring and will last for four decades. Both of these vintages rival the great Lafleurs of 1982, 1979, 1975, 1950, 1947, and 1945. 97 Points, Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 109 (Feb 1997)
Château Lafleur--Vintage 1990
Pomerol
1 double-magnum per lot
Special notice
Offered duty paid, but available in bond. VAT at 17.5% will be charged on the hammer price on removal of the lot from bond.