CRITIC REVIEWS
Jancis Robinson
49% Merlot, 51% Cabernet Franc. Heatwave (but not drought) and very early. Picked 2–3 September for Merlot and 10–12 September for Cabernet Franc. Very important not to deleaf the Cabernet Franc but had to drop some grapes, especially those which had raisined and particularly those that faced west. Very atypical. Much more orange than the 2001. Light burnt/charred note with some drying tannins on the end. A pale shadow of the 2001 with a slightly pinched finish. You could enjoy this with food but you wouldn’t want to drink it as a vino da meditazione. But there is freshness, thanks to the Cabernet.
Neal Martin
Tasted from an ex-chateau bottle at the Lafleur vertical dinner at Attersee in Austria. An equal blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the 2003 Lafleur has a rounded, voluptuous bouquet with scents of strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant and a touch of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied and very sensual in texture. There is good structure here, a relatively “fat” Lafleur with very expressive Merlot. Fleshy in texture, this is still quite youthful, although it does not possess the extra dimension of a great Lafleur due to the growing season. Still, this remains one of the few successes of Pomerol in 2003. Tasted June 2012.