TIME TO BUY?
2000 Château Lafleur - 100 points - 'a monumental Pomerol' NM
A second case now available
This Lafleur has long been a standout of the 2000 vintage and it continues to cruise at altitude as it enters adulthood.
Neal Martin, vinous.com, November 2018
2000 Château Lafleur
£10,250 per 6 bottle case in bond
We offered, and quickly sold, a case of this wine three weeks ago and are pleased to be able to offer another now. As Robert Parker wrote: "This is great Bordeaux, a profound Lafleur".
At just 10 years of age, the 2000 Lafleur was described by Parker himself as showing "a multi-dimensional mid-palate of unbelievable intensity of concentration and richness, yet at the same time all this power is allied to striking elegance, purity, and depth."
Now, at 24% below a Liv-ex Market peak of £13,500 per 6 bottles in April 2023, this price of £10,250 per 6 bottle case in bond looks to represent an opportunity for a wine whose status as a "standout of the 2000 vintage" remains undimmed.
With Parker back in 2010, and with Neal Martin consistently since, this has been a clear 100 point wine that "fans out with consummate ease on a finish that is so long that it makes "War and Peace" seem like a short read."
The long-evident quality of this astonishing millennial vintage Lafleur means that, as the Liv-ex graph below illustrates, the gentle upward trajectory that it has followed since release has been virtually unaffected by market turbulence. While Lix-ex shows a drop of 19% over two years the 5-year figure remains 35% up.
With the lower-scored 2000 Petrus even now at more than double the price, this case of 2000 Château Lafleur at £10,250 per 6 bottle case in bond could prove to be a very good buy.
Château Lafleur 2000
£10,250 per 6 bottle case in bond
Neal Martin, vinous.com, 100 points, November 2018
The 2000 Lafleur is a monumental Pomerol that I have been fortunate to taste almost a dozen times over the years. Now reaching adulthood, it has a deep colour with very little maturity showing on the rim. The bouquet is quite profound, if still a little broody and backward, adorned with captivating scents of blackberry, raspberry, crushed stone, and struck flint tincture that I have remarked on previously. The palate is medium-bodied with damn near perfect line of acidity, utterly harmonious and frankly this is difficult to fault. Filigree tannin, just a subtle touch of spice, layers of pixelated black fruit with astonishing clarity on the finish – it delivers the complete package. This Lafleur has long been a standout of the 2000 vintage and it continues to cruise at altitude as it enters adulthood. Tasted at the Christies’ Lafleur masterclass in London. Drink 2022-2060
Neal Martin, robertparker.com, 100 points, June 2016
Tasted at Justerini & Brooks agency tasting in London. The Château Lafleur 2000 is a monumental wine. Imagine a Harley Davidson thundering down the tarmac. Wouldn't you want to get on? It has an extremely intense, but ineffably pure nose with more mineral expression than the Lafleur 1995. It has loosened up a little since I last tasted it, but I concur with Robert Parker that if I were lucky enough to have some of these in my cellar, I would wait until 2020 to experience the wine at its plateau. Allowing the wine to open over 30 minutes, I notice an almost flinty scent developing on the bouquet. The palate is medium-bodied, crystalline and symmetrical—everything beautifully focused—almost Left Bank in texture. This had a firm backbone, but that is becoming more "flexible" in recent years, and it fans out with consummate ease on a finish that is so long that it makes "War and Peace" seem like a short read. This is simply magnificent. Tasted February 2015. Drink 2020-2060
Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 100 points, June 2010
An utterly awesome wine, the only problem with the 2000 Lafleur is that I indicated its maturity window would be 2012-2040+. Based on two tastings of it, I would now argue 2020-2060+. Yes, it is that backward, but it has extraordinary potential. Dense ruby/purple to the rim, this fabulously concentrated wine has a sweet nose of kirsch liqueur intermixed with licorice and subtle floral notes as well as a hint of truffle in the background. It is stacked and packed on the attack, with a multi-dimensional mid-palate of unbelievable intensity of concentration and richness, yet at the same time all this power is allied to striking elegance, purity, and depth. This is great Bordeaux, a profound Lafleur, and in about ten years, much of its magic should begin to be unleashed. If you can find it, it is an extraordinary wine, and as expensive as it was a decade ago, it will look cheap compared to prices for more recent vintages. Drink 2020-2060
