2002 Le Plus de la Fleur de Bouard
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Tasting notes
(still in barriques Very ripe, complex nose melds dark berries, violet, graphite and cigar box, with an exotic suggestion of woodsmoke. Sweet, dense and fine-grained, with superripe flavors of dark fruits, chocolate and sexy woodsmoke. Firm acids and solid tannic structure give this wine an excellent backbone for aging.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
I enjoyed the regular 2002 bottling nearly as much (perhaps more) than this special cuvee since the regular La Fleur de Bouard is more accessible, reveals less new oak, and possesses more charm. The additional new oak and higher extraction in the 2002 Le Plus seems to have produced a big, rich, impressive, but essentially monolithic wine that may not ever develop the charm of its sibling. It requires 3-4 years of cellaring, and should last for 10-15 years.
Saturated ruby. Aromatic nose combines blackberry, violet, licorice and bitter chocolate. Dense and chewy, with sweet, bright flavors of cassis and chocolate. More sharply delineated than the 2001, but the 2001 is more massive.
(just 2,800 bottles will be produced from 30-year-old merlot vines on a rocky slope and 10% cabernet franc) Saturated medium ruby. Blackberry, violet and licorice on the nose. Dense, juicy and tightly wound, but already showing a layered texture and impressive black fruit intensity. Finishes with ripe but chewy tannins and a note of bitter chocolate. Seems riper and more pliant than the regular wine from this property, but with an equally solid structure. This is the first vintage of this wine to include some cabernet franc.