1978 CHÂTEAU LAFLEUR 1978

(9-2004)
Dep dark ruby with a mature rim. Finer, sleeker, less opulent nose than the 1979. Very well mannered and fresh and lively. Tannins less obvious than in the 1979. More compact and less flashy than the 1979. Very racy and refreshing. Neat, with Cabernet Franc in the ascendant. A very attractive wine for current drinking with nothing in excess. Still very vibrant and fruity – surprisingly so for most 1978s have had a note of decay for some time. Very pretty indeed. Very refreshing and neat.

(1-1998)
More and more the 1978 Lafleur is looking like one of the two or three finest wines of the vintage, along with La Mission-Haut-Brion and Latour. This dark plumgarnet-colored wine exhibits a knock-out nose of black cherry fruit intermixed with licorice, minerals, cedar, and spice. Medium to full-bodied, with powerful tannin remaining, this highly extracted wine is atypical for the 1978 vintage. It is a weighty, broad-shouldered, muscular, virile 1978 that is just beginning to reveal secondary nuances and complexity. I have always thought this wine could develop along the lines of the 1966, and I am more convinced than ever that it is the seventies clone of that vintage.

(1-2000)
Layered and complex, with loads of cassis and blackberry flavors and classic-tasting Lafleur terroir coming through in the mineral, lead pencil, wet earth character. A bit tougher than the '70.

(9-2012)
To taste a Lefleur is a gift from above. Upon opening the bottle we were a bit worried. 1978 is not a legendary vintage. The color is a bit light. On the first smell we notice the acidity. It smells like cherry, moist earth, cedar. The mouth is racy, of medium density but neat. This wine is very good but not exceptional.
But often with old vintages, the second part of the bottle reveals itself differently. The wine is denser, richer, and more complex. The substance, fine and racy, assumed its rights. This wine is excellent, full of fruit, softness and magic perfumes.

(9-2007)