2000 Château La Fleur de Bouard, 12-bottle Lot, Wood Case

Château La Fleur de Bouard is a 62-acre estate in Lalande de Pomerol, on the right bank of the Gironde River. It is owned by Hubert de Bouard de Laforest and he is also the winemaker. Vineyards are planted to 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate makes several wines, including Le Plus de la Fleur Bouard, which is 100 percent Merlot from 60-year-old vines. The wine wins top awards. Robert M. Parker Jr. has rated past vintages at 96 pts and called it “quintessential Bordeaux.” Parker also has noted that “the standard of excellence for Lalande de Pomerol is Hubert de Bouard’s property, over half of it located on the highly prized Neac plateau, which consists of clay, sand and gravel sub-soils.”

Lalande-de-Pomerol is a red wine appellation just north of Pomerol. The two main communes are Lalande-de-Pomerol and Néac. As part of the Bordeaux Right Bank, the wines of this appellation are primarily Merlot, with additions of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Although Lalande-de-Pomerol has historically been considered a lesser appellation than its distinguished neighbor Pomerol, in recent decades Lalande-de-Pomerol has been revitalized as owners of estates in Pomerol also acquire estates in Lalande-de-Pomerol, typically using the same winemakers and viticultural practices for both estates. Without almost 2,600 vineyard acres, Lalande-de-Pomerol is slightly larger than Pomerol. The official appellation was awarded in 1954, although some estates had been using Lalande-de-Pomerol designations on their labels as early as the 1920s.