Petrus has long been regarded as the leading estate in Pomerol but there is another property whose star is rising fast – Château Lafleur.
In his in-bottle review of the 2019 vintage, Neal Martin (Vinous) awarded 100-points to the Lafleur, which he called an ‘awe-inspiring Pomerol’.
Petrus by contrast was scored 96-points. Martin said it was ‘fabulous’ but wished it came ‘with a dial to adjust that 14.8˚ alcohol’.
As well as their scores, the other noticeable difference between them is their price. The 2019 Lafleur has a current Market Price of £12,800 (12×75) to Petrus’s £37,200 – nearly three times more.
Comparing the two estate’s vintages from 2010 to 2019, we can see that Martin has awarded Lafleur 96-points on average and 94 to Petrus. However, Petrus remains over four times more expensive on average.
The comparison between the two is arguably not a direct one. Petrus commands a premium for a variety of reasons. It also continues to attract top scores from other critics in vintages where Martin is more conservative with his rating.
Nonetheless, it is hard to escape the overall impression that – at least on the strength of Martin’s scores – Lafleur is offering considerable value at present in the high-rolling world of Pomerol.
The Lafleur 2017 for example, rated 97-points and with a Market Price of £7,541, looks highly preferable to the 94-point Petrus 2017 at £26,379. Or there is the Lafleur 2014, rated 95-points and available at £5,000, where the Petrus 2014 is rated 93-points and costs £29,400.
Even where scores are the same, such as the 98-point rated 2010s, Petrus remains three times more expensive than the Lafleur.
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Liv-ex analysis is drawn from the world’s most comprehensive database of fine wine prices. The data reflects the real time activity of Liv-ex’s 560+ merchant members from across the globe. Together they represent the largest pool of liquidity in the world – currently £100m of bids and offers across 16,000 wines. Independent data, direct from the market.
