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Jancis Robinson
Château La Fleur Morange Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé
La Fleur Morange 2016 17,5
Dark.Seductive and plush on the nose and with real freshness and some 'minerality' on the palate. Racy,
sleek but fills all corners of the palate. Bravo. Drink 2023-2040
La Fleur Morange 2015 17,5
Dark. Seductive and plush on the nose and with real freshness and some 'minerality' on the palate. Racy,
sleek but fills all corners of the palate. Bravo. Drink 2023-2040
La Fleur Morange 2014 17
Ch La Fleur Morange 2012 St-Émilion 9 Apr 2013 16.5 2016 - 2022 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc. Inky deep crimson. Delicately sweet vanilla and light oak toastiness and an attractive touch of cigar box. Some sweet malty notes on the front palate but then good fruit length. Tannins are rounded and on the chalky side with a fine, dry finish. Well sustained and restrained. (JH)
Ch La Fleur Morange 2011 St-Émilion 11 Jul 2015 16.5+ 2019 - 2032 Dark blackish crimson. This winemaker has not accepted that this is a lesser vintage! Big and round and an absolute charmer. Another wine that you could enjoy young but with excellent balance - both very ripe and with good refreshment value. This is surely one of the better 2011 right-bank wines?
Ch La Fleur Morange 2010 St-Émilion 11 Jul 2015 17 2020 - 2040
Very bright crimson - but look at that alcohol! Intensely concentrated nose and enormous tension on the palate. This is a baby. But one that wants to win Wimbledon. Kerpow! At the moment it has so much of everything - including acidity as well as tannin - that it's a little painful to drink now. But I feel sure it's going to make a great bottle some day. I can see parallels with Pavie again (see my note on the 2005 vintage tasted blind en primeur).
Ch La Fleur Morange 2009 St-Émilion 1 Apr 2010 17 2018 - 2030 Very deep crimson, Lifted mulberry scents on the nose. Combination of opulence and energy though the oak is a little dominant at the moment. Very soft start and the wine tastes extraordinarily hand-crafted. Very very sweet and sinewy. Needs a heck of a lot of time. Such intensity runs through it. Very vibrant. Still lots of tannin – maybe just slightly inky.
Ch La Fleur Morange 2008 St-Émilion 14 May 2009 17.5+ 2014 - 2025
Intense, glowing crimson. Wonderfully smooth and gorgeous but with great undertow of freshness and incredibly ripe tannins. There is the most extraordinary contrast between the 2007 and 2008... Silky and really ripe, firm tannins. Glowing finish. Full of richness and life.
Ch La Fleur Morange 2007 St-Émilion 11 Jul 2015 16 2012 - 2022
Blackish ruby. Not that much nose. Round, polished tannins and lots of depth, ripeness and concentration. Like the 2006, it has this char/inkiness quality and wonderful persistence. I would penalise this just for its lack of aroma. But again there is huge ambition.
Ch La Fleur Morange 2006 St-Émilion 11 Jul 2015 16.5+ 2014 - 2030 Deep crimson. Little sign of ageing. Rich and spicy on the nose with some char and inkiness but masses of fruit. Enough acidity - not a pastiche wine. Still youthful with tannins just starting to be submerged by fruit but very much still there. There is clearly much more ambition in this wine than in many a 2006. Long and rich.
Ch La Fleur Morange 2005 St-Émilion 12 Feb 2008 19 2013 - 2030
Blackish crimson right out to the rim. Thick and solid with admirable density and some real electricity in the wine. Very superior with lovely texture and masses of both sophisticated fruit and very fine tannin. Still extremely young and callow and yet the tannins have been so well managed that you could – infanticide – drink this wine now. Cool rather than hot on the finish. Very distinctive – in a good way! Dry as opposed to sweet. I think this may be Pavie (see my note here) but I still think it is very good wine!
Ch La Fleur Morange 2004 St-Émilion 10 Jul 2008 17.5 2011 - 2018 Still very dense purplish crimson. Complex toasty nose with real life to it. Lovely texture and zest. In this case the fruit and the acidity seem to be much more in balance. This doesn't have the intensity of the 2005 but has excellent balance and length. Very sophisticated. Fine, dry tannins on the finish - this has more fruit, confidence and potential than many 2004s.
Ch La Fleur Morange 2003 St-Émilion 10 Jul 2008 17 2009 - 2014 Dense crimson core but a wide rim veering to brick. Heady. Voluptuous nose with some burnt notes. Supple fruit with quite marked acidity underneath. Certainly delivers and flatters….Not too hot or alcoholic, though still with some perceptible tannins - much less rustic than most 2003 St-Émilion's tannins. A bit severe on the palate but not nearly as much so as many 2003s.
Ch La Fleur Morange 2002 St-Émilion 10 Jul 2008 15.5 2010 - 2013 Crimson that is slightly less intense than the 2001. Spicy, lifted nose - pretty attractive, though not as dense as previous vintages. A little weedy and stringy overall - with very marked acidity. An attempt at concentration but that means the acidity is concentrated.
Ch La Fleur Morange 2001 St-Émilion 10 Jul 2008 16.5 2010 - 2016 Still very youthful deep crimson. Extremely intense on the nose with more purity than the 2000. Lovely texture and energy - fine tannins. Really very good for a 2001. Not much on the nose but lots of work has obviously gone in to sculpting the palate. Tannins a little bit austere but positively fizzing with ambition.
Ch La Fleur Morange 2000 St-Émilion 10 Jul 2008 16 2007 - 2014 Deep, dark crimson with a little development at the rim. Not much nose but great intensity. Rather furry edges on the palate - not pure - though certainly with lots of meat and substance. Sweet start and the oak not too dominant. Acidity a little obvious on the palate and the finish is a bit sudden. Interesting if a little brutal but not fine.
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