Vinous - Score: 94 (2018 November)

The 1988 Lafleur was last tasted in 2012 at the Attersee tasting conducted just before publishing my Pomerol tome. I had forgotten how well this vintage showed at the time and deeply impressed how well it performs after almost three decades. There is now just a little ageing on the rim but the core remains a healthy dark purple color. The bouquet is just wonderful, armed with gorgeous black fruit, tobacco and a hint of liquorish, and a distant touch of Japanese green tea. The palate is medium-bodied but is endowed with considerable density in context of the vintage. There is much more matière here compared to the 1988 Petrus. It is not quite as rigid as it was five years ago and this bottle demonstrates a precocious, almost mellifluous finish that is more like a 1990 than 1988. Outstanding.