Pomerol
With 150 or so producers and roughly 740 hectares of vineyards, the smallest of Bordeaux's major appellations is home to myriad bijou domaines – many making little more than 1,000 cases per annum. If the topography and architecture of Pomerol are typical, the style of its wines is anything but. The best vineyards are planted on a seam of rich clay extending across the raised plateau of Pomerol from the boundary of St Emilion.
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Chateau l'Eglise-Clinet,
For laying down,
Lucid in color, it has a quintessential L'Eglise-Clinet bouquet with blackberry, raspberry coulis, liquid minerals and hints of iris and incense. The palate is very precise and crisp, some of the finest tannins that you will encounter in Pomerol, tensile right from the beginning, taut and linear with immense precision towards the extended mineral-soaked finish. This is nothing less than a brilliant wine from Denis Durantou, undoubtedly one of the stars of the vintage.
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate #230, April 2017
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate #230, April 2017
Chateau Clinet,
Drink now,
The 1989's aroma (believe it or not, the first bottle in the blind tasting was badly corked) jumps from the glass, offering up pure scents of flowers, black-raspberries, currants, vanillin, and truffles. Full-bodied, with a seamless texture, fabulous concentration, a massive degree of richness, but no heaviness or awkwardness, this remains one of the most profound young wines I have ever tasted. Its sweetness of fruit and layers of flavor, combined with its remarkable texture are the stuff of legends. Both of these wines are approachable (their high Merlot content ensures them softness), yet they remain largely unevolved. If readers like them young, do not hesitate to drink a bottle or two. Ideally, both the 1989 and 1990 vintages will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring. Given the 1989's additional flavor extraction and length, it is a 25-30-year wine. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2030.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 28/02/1997
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 28/02/1997
Le Pin,
For laying down,
There is a high quality of fruit here. Floral and expressive on the nose, it is both rich and firm on the palate. Brambly fruit, spice and redcurrants combine to create an intense and brooding wine. It is a dark, deep cherry colour in the glass. This is a wine of generous fruit, neat perfume and rich complexity. A slight earthiness and minerality confirm the wine’s origin; another excellent Pomerol from this vintage.
100% Merlot
100% Merlot
Le Pin,
For laying down,
Le Pin 2011 boasts an intense nose of cedar with very slight hints of the new oak that will meld into the wine during elevage. On the palate, it is rich and firm with both redcurrant and brambly fruit and a touch of spice. The finish is very impressively long and extremely intense. This is a wine of supreme intensity but without overt weight, and it looks to be an outstanding Le Pin made with a new precision from Jacques Thienpont's new chai. This is top of the tree in Pomerol.
Nicholas Pegna, Berrys’ Asia
Nicholas Pegna, Berrys’ Asia
Le Pin,
For laying down,
It is a gross over–simplification to label 2012, as some have done, a “vintage of the Right Bank and the Wrong Bank”, but one sip of Le Pin and you understand the reasoning. Where others have had to use all their expertise to make good wine, Jacques and Fiona Thienpont seem to have achieved greatness without really breaking sweat. It helps that the property is so tiny, of course, and that even with interruptions for rain they could harvest the whole crop in two and a half days. Nevertheless, this is wonderful, floral, expressive wine, and my personal favourite of the vintage.
Simon Berry, Chairman
Simon Berry, Chairman
Chateau la Conseillante,
For laying down,
This is fantastic. La Conseillante is known for its elegance and finesse, but this really is something else. Sweet, rich and showing a depth of fruit and layered complexity, it is one of the best wines I tasted during en primeur week. There is a cool, fresh precision to this wine. It is not a big wine, but there is certainly a depth of flavour and richness to the fruit. Perfectly balanced tannins complement the acidity to create a sumptuous mouth-feel. There is lift to the finish too, and the taste buds long for more – the palate tingles. Jean-Michel Laporte and his team should be proud of another delicious wine in 2014, it is almost Burgundy-like.
78% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc
78% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc
Chateau Clinet,
For laying down,
This wine demonstrates why Clinet is currently one of the most exciting properties in Bordeaux. There is an alluring perfume on the nose, which is full of ripe blueberry and redcurrant fruit.
The tight kernel of fruit unfurls on the back palate coupled with persistent tannins. The finish is accompanied by an attractive smoky profile, suggesting clever use of oak. With plenty of dense and concentrated fruit, liquorice and blackberries, this is the most enjoyable tasting of this wine en primeur that we can remember.
Blend: 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc
The tight kernel of fruit unfurls on the back palate coupled with persistent tannins. The finish is accompanied by an attractive smoky profile, suggesting clever use of oak. With plenty of dense and concentrated fruit, liquorice and blackberries, this is the most enjoyable tasting of this wine en primeur that we can remember.
Blend: 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc
For laying down,
51% Merlot, 49% Cabernet Franc. ‘Both varieties were good this year,’ insists Baptiste Guinaudeau. True to form, this is a complex, crafted wine with enormous depth and detail. The palate is unctuous and layered, the carpet of ripe tannin providing tremendous presence and persistence. Huge ageing potential.
Drink: 2027-2050
James Lawther MW - decanter.com - April 2016
Drink: 2027-2050
James Lawther MW - decanter.com - April 2016
For laying down,
A third of the crop and probably the most precise wine yet from this Léoville-Las Cases-owned property. Constructed in the house style with fine-grained tannins and impressive length and freshness. Less opulence than previous years but very pure.
Drink: 2023-2040
James Lawther MW - decanter.com - April 2016
Drink: 2023-2040
James Lawther MW - decanter.com - April 2016
Chateau l'Eglise-Clinet,
For laying down,
Only 4.2ha. 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Seductive fruit and aroma. Inhabitual fragrance at the en primeur stage. Floral, berry fruit and chocolate notes. Voluptuous fruit hides the power of ripe tannins behind. Firmness and persistence on the finish. Both solid and seductive. Great potential.
Drink: 2023-2045
James Lawther MW - decanter.com
Drink: 2023-2045
James Lawther MW - decanter.com
Vieux Chateau Certan,
For laying down,
Alexandre Thienpont has succeeded in creating a terrific wine again in 2015. Fabulously elegant, it is almost Burgundian in style and finesse. This is pure, focused and graceful: a wonderful success.
Real acidity provides freshness and a lovely texture. It is really polished. An underlying core of some depth, but the wine is very light in its feet. Very clean and precise, it is soft, light and beautifully spicy. There is so much complexity on the palate, yet the flavours are so refined. The wine has real length, but everything is understated and elegant.
Blend: 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
Real acidity provides freshness and a lovely texture. It is really polished. An underlying core of some depth, but the wine is very light in its feet. Very clean and precise, it is soft, light and beautifully spicy. There is so much complexity on the palate, yet the flavours are so refined. The wine has real length, but everything is understated and elegant.
Blend: 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
Chateau Hosanna,
Ready, but will keep,
...this seamless wine is a classic example of purity and symmetry. Combining power with charm and finesse in a deeply textured, rich, elegant, yet authoritatively flavorful style, this is a brilliant effort as well as a compliment to proprietor Christian Moueix. Sadly, there are only 1,500 cases of this fabulous offering. It displays a singular style reminiscent of a hypothetical blend of Cheval Blanc and L'Evangile, the famous St.-Emilion and equally renowned Pomerol situated across from each other. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020. 96/100 pts. (Robert Parker - Wine Advovcate - Apr-2003)
For laying down,
Vieux Chateau Certan,
For laying down,
Vieux Ch. Certan, Pomerol displays deep black-red, cherry-red at the rim followed by a bright berry fruit nose; succulence on the palate, lovely weight, depth and texture. Good density. Tannins are plentiful but ripe with a long finish. A real sense of minerality to the wine, clearly from a noble terroir.
The intelligent, fascinating and hugely talented Alexandre Thienpont has made a wine that perfectly reflects his personality in 2005. This is the Grand Cru Burgundy of Bordeaux. It is simply in a different class, even in such an exalted vintage as 2005. The nose is heavenly: very Merlot with orange hints to the fragrant aromatic red fruit. The palate then takes you to another dimension with its incredibly pure, silky, intense raspberry fruit supported by firm but very fine tannins. Roll out the red carpet for this one.
The intelligent, fascinating and hugely talented Alexandre Thienpont has made a wine that perfectly reflects his personality in 2005. This is the Grand Cru Burgundy of Bordeaux. It is simply in a different class, even in such an exalted vintage as 2005. The nose is heavenly: very Merlot with orange hints to the fragrant aromatic red fruit. The palate then takes you to another dimension with its incredibly pure, silky, intense raspberry fruit supported by firm but very fine tannins. Roll out the red carpet for this one.
Le Pin,
For laying down,
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Le Pin hits the dance floor with a completely gregarious nose of plum preserves, blackberry tart and wild blueberries, boldly accented by suggestions of Chinese five spice, cigar boxes, menthol and violets plus an earthy waft of underbrush. Full-bodied, concentrated, muscular and earthy with a firm backbone of exquisitely ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, it has an incredibly long finish featuring exotic spice and mineral layers.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - 21/02/2018
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - 21/02/2018
Max Lalondrelle, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd