The 1985 Lafleur must be considered one of the wines of the vintage and is without question the finest Pomerol of the year, the 1985 Le Pin taking the silver medal. This bottle is exactly as I expected and cut from a similar cloth to the magnum poured at the vertical in Attersee. There is something about the bouquet that is totally "complete", a labyrinthine of black and red fruit that lean towards the richer side, the Merlot and Cabernet Franc in perfect harmony: blackberry, sage, allspice, menthol and crushed violets. The palate has an unerring symmetry coupled with bewitching harmony and lithe tannins than caress the senses. This is an intense, multi-layered Lafleur that goes on and on. It is a Pomerol that seems full of “corridors” that lead to hidden facets of the wine such as blood orange, brown spices, marmalade and cracked black pepper...It remains one of the standouts of the decade. This might be the best bottle I have tasted so far. Drinking window: 2018-2035 (Vinous, Feb 2018, 98 Pts)
The 1985 Lafleur is a much larger-scaled wine than the 1985 Petrus. It possesses a very special bouquet suggesting ripe plums, minerals, violets, and an intensity that comes only from old vines. Deep ruby/purple, with an exceptional richness and depth of fruit, full body, and a powerful, long finish, this wine ranks with the mammoth-sized vintages of Lafleur--1989, 1988, 1986, 1982, 1979, 1975, and 1964.. (Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate Bordeaux Book, 3rd Edition, Jan 1998, 96 Pts)
