2016 La Fleur Petrus

You'd have to be particularly committed to young, concentrated wines to really feel you are getting La Fleur-Pétrus 2016 at its height if drinking any time soon, but it was hard to resist counting it among my wines of the year. We had it after a 24 hour carafe, and I would recommend doing the same - what you get in return is luscious, balanced and beatifully seductive Pomerol. sensuous and luscious upfront, and then the freshness and uplift clamps through on the mid palate, and you are taken up vertically with whirls of mint and eucalyptus. Vertical uplift, gorgeous grip, violet edges, with a push and pull between intensity and teasingly-slow acidity. For me this beats the brilliant 2015 of this wine. It's all finesse, rewarding the effort and investment that has gone into La Fleur Pétrus in recent years. Loved it En Primeur and love it in bottle.

The 2016 La Fleur-Petrus has a wonderful, beautifully defined bouquet of detailed blackberry, briar, truffle and ferrous scents that unfurl in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. There is a gracefulness about this Pomerol that belies the persistence and sapidity that keep you coming back for more. Excellent. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Tasted blind. Sweet and just a little simple. Chewy, dry end. But actually pretty juicy and pleasing. Leathery tannins. (JR)