1986 Château Lafleur

I tried to restrain myself, sipping this rare and stunning wine slowly but surely, but it was almost impossible not to down it in one, it was just so good. Supple and finely-boned tannins, a ton of white truffle and tobacco notes, gentle smoked earth, tannins still holding on to the now fully softened red fruits. Shared by a generous friend at 67 Pall Mall - and even luckier, I was simply walking past their table with lucky timing! Jacques Guinaudeau had arrived at the estate just two years earlier, in 1984, leasing the vines from his aunt Marie Robin. It took decades to come around, but right now it is singing.

The 1986 Lafleur was the second vintage overseen by Sylvie and Baptiste Guinaudeau, however, it is not nearly as successful as their debut. Now at 32 years of age, it has developed a leafy, tertiary bouquet with bay leaf and black tea scents, nicely defined, even if it lacks the fleshy and comeliness of the 1985. It has a lovely tart entry that I might have overlooked in the last couple of bottles that I tasted. Slightly rustic black fruit form the core of this Lafleur with bay leaf and dried blood, tapering towards the finish that has evolved a balsamic note in recent years. This is probably the best bottle I have tasted so far, on the other hand, the 1986 pales against other Lafleurs of this decade. Tasted at lunch at Cipriani private members club in Hong Kong.

A puzzle of a wine, this one – especially when served blind! It seemed much higher in Cabernet than most right bank bordeaux and is still pretty tough. I suppose that makes it a fairly typical 1986 but it seems unlikely it will ever unfurl into a gorgeous, opulent Pomerol. (JR)