Château Lafleur 2023 is a dry red from Pomerol, Bordeaux, built around an unusually Cabernet Franc–led blend for the appellation. Multiple reviewers cite 54% Cabernet Franc (often labeled “Bouchet”) and 46% Merlot, while Decanter reports 56% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot. Alcohol is noted at about 14% (Decanter), with Jeff Leve adding 14.2% ABV and a 3.75 pH. Harvest details appear precise: Leve reports Merlot picked September 7–8 and Cabernet Franc on September 17. Jeb Dunnuck says the wine was aged 15 months in barrel, “25% new and 75% once-used,” a detail echoed by Jane Anson (“25% new oak for ageing”).

The aromatic picture is consistently floral and mineral-leaning. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (100 points—an excellent, headline review) calls it “deep, complex and resonant,” with “cherries, raspberry liqueur, iris, violets and mint,” and praises its “breathtaking purity and harmony.” Vinous (Neal Martin, 98 points—excellent) emphasizes precision and restraint: “exquisite delineation… blackberry and bilberry… crushed limestone scents,” with a “gentle but insistent grip” and one of the “longest” finishes of the vintage.

Several critics frame 2023 as a more lifted, classically structured Lafleur. Leve (99 points) says it “exchanges its opulence, and power for lift, refinement, concentration, length, and complexity,” while Anson (98) highlights “pumice-scraping tannins” and advises “a good 8 to 10 years before reaching its peak.” Decanter (97) underscores freshness—“high acidity, bite and tang”—and notes it’s “linear and straight,” “beautifully constructed for the vintage.”

Two more perfect scores reinforce the hype: Jeb Dunnuck (100) calls it “a perfect wine” with “incredible purity,” and The Wine Palate (100) describes a “finely knit” wine of “poise and energy,” finishing “very long and graceful.” Drinking windows generally start around 2030, with long aging potential.