Robert Parker

 

Château La Fleur Morange Mathilde 2 Vin

2013  La Fleur Morange Mathilde                            (86-88) points

 

The 2013 La Fleur Morange Mathilde, which is their 100% Merlot cuvee, is named after the proprietor-s daughter, and is bottled earlier and released earlier into the market. It is always a St.-Emilion fruit bomb, delicious, soft with loads of cherry and black currant fruit, spice box and floral notes. The average age of the Merlot vines is about 50 years, but it comes from a tiny, close to four-acre parcel. It is meant to be drunk in its first 7-8 years of life.

 

2012  La Fleur Morange Mathilde                           (87-89) points

 

The 2012 Mathilde is a pure, hedonistic St.-Emilion fruit bomb that achieved 14% natural alcohol. Seductive, lush and round, this richly fruity effort possesses lots of raspberry and black currant fruit as well as a hint of spring flowers, low acidity and ripe tannin. It is aged totally in stainless steel prior to bottling. Drink it over the next 3-5 years.

Another exclusivity of Jeffrey M. Davies Signature Selections, this excellent estate produces an early-bottled cuvee from 100% Merlot called Mathilde. From a 5-acre parcel of 80-year-old vines cropped at 25 hectoliters per hectare, it is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc that reached 14.5% natural alcohol.

 

2011  La Fleur Morange Mathilde                           (90-92) points

 

Gros is a notorious late harvester and naturalist, and his 2011 La Fleur Morange Mathilde (100% Merlot) is bottled early in order to give consumers a joyous, fruit-driven, hedonistic wine with a whopping 14.5% natural alcohol. A sleeper of the vintage, it offers copious notes of blueberry confiture interwoven with kirsch, spring flowers and subtle oak. This medium to full-bodied, full-throttle, delicious, silky smooth, palate-filling wine can be enjoyed over the next 6-8 years.

ESTIMATED COST:           $19-$35

 

2010 La Fleur Morange Mathilde                                   93 points

ESTIMATED COST:           $34

 

The 2010 Mathilde is 100% Merlot in 2010, and the alcohol is at 15%. The wine is a blockbuster, a delicious, hedonistic St.-Emilion fruit bomb with loads of blackberry, raspberry, black currant and cherry notes intermixed with some cedar wood, forest floor and a touch of toast. The interesting thing about Mathilde is that it is bottled and put on the market much earlier than most of the serious wines of Bordeaux. The Mathilde is probably best consumed in its first decade of life.

Despite the fact that both of these wines received similar scores, they are different in style.

 

2009  La Fleur Morange Mathilde                                92 points

ESTIMATED COST:           $25

 

The early-bottled (after about 10-12 months) 2009 Mathilde is meant to be something of a sexy fruit bomb style of St.-Emilion. It comes from 50-year-old vines and was bottled in July, 2011. It has been a beauty in other vintages so I’m not surprised it showed so well in 2009. With the alcohol at 14.5%, it possesses the tell-tale glycerin and rich sweetness that comes from the alcoholic warmth. It is 100% Merlot, which explains the gushing, exuberant black cherry and black currant fruit and hedonistic style of this wine.

 

2008  La Fleur Morange Mathilde                               92 points

DRINK: 2011 - 2019

 

This La Fleur Morange Mathilde is also 100% Merlot, but with the alcohol hitting 13.5% in the 2008 vintage. It is a fabulous effort. Exuberant, hedonistic quantities of white chocolate, black currants, sweet cherries and Christmas fruitcake soar from the glass of this dense ruby/purple-tinged wine. Medium to full-bodied, round, fleshy and succulent, this is a major sleeper of the vintage and ideal for drinking over the next 6-8 years.

This was a terrific discovery by Jeffrey Davies of Signature Selections, an American wine broker who has lived in Bordeaux for over 30 years. Both the 2008 and 2010 cuvees are remarkable efforts.

 

2007  La Fleur Morange Mathilde                             87 points

 

The early-bottled (only 12 months or less in barrel) 2007 La Fleur Morange Mathilde is an exuberantly fruity St.-Emilion that is the perfect foil for hedonists. It tastes like a silky smooth Bordeaux with loads of fruitcake, black currant, and cherry notes offered in a medium-bodied, lusciously straightforward, enormously satisfying wine. Consume it over the next 3-5 years.

2006  La Fleur Morange Mathilde              89 points

The limited cuvee, the 2006 La Fleur Morange Mathilde, comes from a tiny 3+ acre parcel of very old vines. A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, it is a gorgeously knit, flamboyant, sensual, exotic St.-Emilion offering up notes of overripe black cherry and cassis fruit intermixed with notions of flowers and toasty oak. Consume this lush, opulent 2006 over the next 7-8 years.

2005  La Fleur Morange Mathilde                          93 points

 ESTIMATED $70

 

The deep ruby/purple-tinged 2005 Mathilde exhibits sweet aromas of jammy blueberries and blackberries intermixed with crushed rocks, spring flowers, and subtle new oak. The wine is nicely textured, pure, and rich with good structure, precision, and surprising power (14.5% natural alcohol). It has been bottled early, but will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring, and should evolve for at least 15 years.

The well-known Claude Gros is the consulting oenologist at this small garagiste operation in St.-Emilion. The average age of the vines is ... get this ... 100 years!