The 2016 Château La Fleur-Petrus is more regal and elegant, with an incredibly floral quality in its red and blue fruits, crushed rock, forest floor, and graphite-tinged aromas and flavors. This medium to full-bodied, rich, layered effort has notable structure, integrated acidity, beautiful balance, and a rock star finish. This is pure class and a thrilling La Fleur Petrus that needs 4-5 years of bottle age and will cruise for 2-3 decades.

Ripe and warm in feel, with an alluring mix of creamy textured cherry, red currant and raspberry reduction notes, mixed with black tea and incense accents. Features a buried spine of graphite, with a hint of Turkish coffee lurking at the very end. Best from 2022 through 2036.

The 2016 La Fleur-Pétrus is all finesse. A wine of translucence and nuance, it is utterly captivating from the very first taste. Blood orange, chalk and white pepper overtones give the wine lift and tension that drive through to the finish. I imagine the 2016 will need a few years to enter its prime drinking window, but it is an absolute stunner today. The Cabernet Franc is especially expressive. The vintage was not without its challenges; some of the younger-vine Merlot succumbed to heat stress and was not used in the final blend. As a result, yields in finished wine are down about 20 percent.

Wow. The blackberry, dried-flower and orange-peel aromas are so impressive at first, but then they go to black truffle and wet earth. Full-bodied with a solid core of powerful yet fine-grained tannins. It goes on for minutes. A very muscular La Fleur-Pétrus. Drink after 2025.

Blended of 91% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, the medium garnet-purple colored 2016 la Fleur-Petrus reveals stunning Black Forest cake, redcurrant jelly and wilted roses scents with underlying suggestions of pencil shavings, yeast extract, dark chocolate and cloves. Medium to full-bodied, the mid-palate possesses superb intensity and depth with layers of perfumed black fruits and loads of red fruit sparks framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing on a lingering earthy note.