Les Pensées de Lafleur 2022

The 2022 Pensées de Lafleur is a head-turning, sensual wine, bursting with aromas of minty cherries and berries mingled with orange zest, black truffle and rose petal. Full-bodied, velvety and layered, it's deep, suave and seamless, with an enveloping core of fruit and tannins so polished that they caress the palate. This cuvée, derived from vines growing in the part of Lafleur's vineyard through which a water course once flowed and where the soils are richer in clay and better hydrated, still lives in the shadow of its grander sibling, but it's a must-purchase for me every year. 2027 - 2055

The 2022 Les Pensées is very backward and reserved on the nose, but there is real power locked inside, mainly black fruit with touches of brown spice. The palate is medium-bodied with smooth tannins, just a patina of new oak to be absorbed, with pleasing fleshiness coming through on the satin-textured finish. Lovely. Very seductive. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.

Beautiful aromas of brambleberries, light chocolate, bark and nutmeg. Medium-bodied with fresh tannins and hints of terra-cotta and subtle coffee and chocolate undertones. So delicious and intense. Crushed stones add to the mineral, salty and ripe-fruit character that stays fresh. 57% merlot and 43% bouchet (cabernet franc). Drinkable but better in three or four years.

A ton of finessed and aromatic floral components to the nose, this has depth, muscular, fennel, bitter aniseed, soy, oyster shell, cassis, and red roses. Plush but intensely constructed tannins, this can be approached relatively soon, although expect it to age well. Harvest 7 and 17 September. Jean-Baptiste Guinaudeau owner and winemaker, 25% new oak.