The excellent 1996 La Fleur is a good choice for restaurants and consumers looking for a wine with immediate drinkability. Over recent years, the style of this wine has offered straightforward, open-knit, ripe fruit presented in an easy to understand manner. The medium ruby-colored 1996 reveals a gorgeous nose of over-ripe cherries intermixed with framboise and currants. In the mouth, the wine is medium-bodied, with a velvety texture, fine purity, and gobs of fruit. This satiny-textured claret will continue to drink well for 5-6 years.