Super Pomerol Tasting at Wine Watch

Friday, March 11, 2016 - 07:30 PM

This Event has been read: 2206 times.

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If all be true that I do think,
There are five reasons we should drink:
Good wine - a friend - or being dry -
Or lest we should be by and by -
Or any other reason why.
Henry Aldrich 1647 - 1710

 

 

We really don't need an excuse here at Wine Watch but Friday night will do! 

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This is the last of the birthday month tastings as we had a really good month and a half run here at Wine Watch starting with the Leroy Versus DRC Burgundy tasting on February 5th, then on to the Chateau Lafite Rothschild tasting back to 1945 on Feb 10th, Chateau D'Yquem and Clemens back to 1947, Opus One versus Caymus Special Selection, Vintage Piedmont back to 1955 and that was just the amazing tasting that we hosted here at Wine Watch!! I was also invited to the Wine Wizards "Once in  Lifetime" Bordeaux tasting that would rival any tasting that I have ever done and the Hollywood wine Society's Sine Qua Non tasting- thank you all you wine drinking people that have made the start to my 47th year on this earth very special!!!
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And you know what they say about saving the best for last, Pomerol is my favorite appellation in Bordeaux and we are serving almost all of the top wines from this small one horse town at this event. If you are a Bordeaux lover this is a tasting that you can’t miss!!

 

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Super Pomerol Tasting at Wine Watch
Friday, March 11th
7pm

 

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1959 Chateau Vieux Chateau Certan

(93 Points)  It possesses a huge, coffee, chocolatey, herb, and cassis-scented bouquet, followed by rich, full-bodied, opulent flavors.  Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

 

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1971 Chateau Petrus

(95 Points) "This wine has been seemingly fully mature since the mid- to late seventies. It is a seductive, opulent vintage for Petrus. The color now is a dark garnet with considerable amber at the rim. The incredible nose of Christmas fruitcake intermixed with mocha, jammy kirsch, and black currants is followed by a silky textured, full-bodied, very opulent wine that is still totally intact. The tannins have totally dissipated, and the wine is an unctuous, seductive Petrus that is certainly one of the vintages that is most delicious and compelling. A sensational wine and probably the wine of the vintage." The Wine Advocate

 

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1971 Chateau Trotanoy

(93 Points) It is still superb, with gobs of velvety, ripe, decadent Merlot fruit, an opulent texture, and a long, full-bodied, heady finish. This must be the second-best wine of the vintage(eclipsed only by Petrus).Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

 

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1982 Chateau Certain de May

(93+ Points) "I have been drinking this wine out of half bottle, and this was the first regular bottle I have had over recent years. While this Pomerol is loaded, it remains extremely backward - hence the lower score. I would not touch a bottle for another 5-8 years. The half bottles are tasting at least 4 to 5 points better, and are obviously much more evolved. The full bottle exhibited a dense plum/purple color along with notes of cedar, forest floor, sweet jammy plums, black currants, licorice, and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied and powerful with high tannins as well as a rustic, massive mouthfeel and finish, it should be fully mature by 2015, and keep until 2030+." Drink from: 2015-2030 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate #183 (WA, 06/01/2009)

 

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1985 Chateau Trotanoy

(85 Points) This wine is another disappointing offering that appears to be losing its fruit and fat at an accelerated pace. It possesses a medium ruby/garnet color with considerable rust at the edge. The nose offers up aromas of olives, grilled vegetables, and straightforward cherry fruit. In the mouth, the wine is medium-bodied and soft, with some acidity and tannin poking through the meager flesh. This wine needs to be drunk up. Anticipated maturity: Now-2003. Last tasted 3/9.Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book, 3rd Edition # B1

 

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1985 Chateau L'Evangile

(93 Points) Deep red. Multidimensional nose melds red berry liqueur, milk chocolate, underbrush, truffle and smoke; seemed to shut down in the glass. Lush, silky and sweet, with sneaky ripe acidity giving the flavors clarity and penetration. Still a bit youthfully tight on the back end, but vinous and long. Drink now through 2015. International Wine Celler, Stephen Tanzer

 

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1986 Chateau Le Pin Pomerol

(91 Points) One of the more structured examples of Le Pin, and still surprisingly youthful for a wine that critics say needs to be drunk in its first 5-10 years, this dark garnet-colored wine has notes of licorice, loamy soil scents, sweet black cherries and currants along with some truffle and vanilla. The wine is medium-bodied with a certain firmness and delineation, and less of the charm, glycerin, and opulence that the ripe, more generous vintages provide. The finish is long and almost Medoc-like..."  The Wine Advocate

 

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1988 Chateau La Croix du Casse Pomerol

From the good 1988 vintage, this super red wine is rich and full bodied with a leathery, ripe, fruity bouquet and a smooth silky finish. Drink now - 2019.

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1989 Chateau la Fleur De Gay

(98 points) Stellar in quality, with great concentration but also great finesse. Exuberant blackberry and tobacco aromas with hints of cedar lead to masses of fruit on the palate and full, silky tannins. One for the next century.   Wine Spectator (3/1992)

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1989 Chateau Clinet

(100 points) One of the great modern-day Bordeaux, the 1989 Clinet still has a saturated purple color and a sweet nose of creme de cassis intermixed with incense, licorice, smoke, and mineral. As the wine sits in the glass, more blueberry and blackberry notes emerge, intermixed with some toasty oak, earth, and spice. This spectacularly concentrated, full-bodied, multi-dimensional wine is the stuff of dreams. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2025.    (1/2003) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

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1989 Chateau Vray Croix de Gay

In 1892, Joseph Brisson bought the Domaine des Grands Champs situated between Trotanoy and Le Pin. In 1945, his daughter and son-in-law acquired the vineyard Vraye Croix de Gaye. Its largest plot, next door to La Fleur, is just 100 meters from Petrus. 3.67 hectares of the best gravel soils in the appellation, Château Vray Croix de Gay unites these two vineyards. Tender as well as intense, offering multiple layers of complexity, Château Vray Croix de Gay is, according to the English critic Steven Spurrier, “like doors that open to the light.” The second wine Enchanteur de Vray Croix de Gay is full and silky with intense aromas of black fruits.

 

Menu

 

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Carpaccio with wild herbs and black pepper aioli

Black currant glazed Muscovy duck breast with sweet potato Au gratin

Chocolate Covered Bacon

 

The price for this event is $595 + tax, there are only 14 spaces available for this event.  For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

 

The Right Bank

The Bordeaux region is one of the most important wine-producing regions in the world, it produces a third of the good quality wine French production. Bordeaux is 57 appellations, more than 9,000 wine-producing châteaux, and 13,000 wine growers.  Bordeaux is near the Atlantic coast, in the south west of France.  Wine has been grown in Bordeaux for two thousand years. Most probably vines grew there before the arrival of the Roman in 56 before J.C.  The poet Ausonius wrote about it, a château still bare his name, the "Château Ausone". 

At the beginning of the second millennium the region was under English domination. Hundred of boats loaded with barrels of "Claret" left for England.  The "Claret" was a light red wine Englishmen loved, the word is still used to refer to Red Bordeaux.  The large diversity of Bordeaux suggests an equal diversity of soil. The climate is generally temperate with a short winter and a high degree of humidity generated by the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. 

The celebrated regions of the right bank, Pomerol and St Emilion, have very little to do with the rest of Bordeaux. They lie well to the east of Bordeaux itself. Where the Médoc and Graves are characterized by gravelly soils, on the right bank the soil has more clay and limestone. Cabernet Sauvignon does not usually perform well here, and Merlot and Cabernet Franc are much more widely planted. A warmer drier climate than the maritime Médoc also benefits the region.

The right bank was mostly excluded from the 1855 classification (the exceptions being the St Emilion first growths of Cheval Blanc and Ausone) and as a whole was not taken that seriously until the early 20th century.  Today, due to the garagist movement- the recent development on the Right Bank has been the production of wines from newly created but tiny estates.  A policy of very low yields, ageing in new oak barrels, and the rarity value of the wines, has created a somewhat absurd demand for such exceedingly expensive wines as Le Pin (Pomerol) and Valandraud (St Emilion).  Their quality is excellent, but they offer poor value, except for wine drinkers who must have 'cult' wines in their cellars at all costs.  This is a reflection of the quality of the best wines and of the sensuous properties of the Merlot grape, which gives rounder, more opulent wines than the austere Cabernet Sauvignon.  The St Emilion wines have been classified, but Pomerol still has no classification, although the best wines are internationally recognized.

Because the wine business has been so entrenched in their history and the entire economy of this region of France is based on what the English have coined the term “Claret”, they have a system of doing business like other wine producing region on the face of the earth.  The best of the Bordeaulaise get paid for their product up to two years before it gets to the market.  The top wines are sought out by collectors the world over years before they will come to rest in their cellars; and in some cases many years before they will actually be consumed.  It is like the stock market, for wine junkies.  Bordeaux Futures are a bet that the wine will be more valuable when it arrives than it was when it was actually purchased. 

 

Pomerol

The Pomerol vineyards are located on a plateau that rises and falls slightly as it slopes gently down through a series of terraces toward the valley of the Isle River, which flows into the Dordogne River.  The appellation is bordered on the north by the Barbanne, a tributary of the Isle, on the east by Saint Emilion (the Cheval Blanc and Figeac wine estates), and on the south and west by the city of Libourne.  Pomerol is an area only two and a half miles long and two miles wide with exceptionally favorable geology and unique wine-producing potential.  It is one of the smallest of the Bordeaux wine areas and produces a yearly average of about 350,000 cases of wine.  Most of the region's properties, with a few exceptions, are small; the 185 wine estates in Pomerol have an average of eight acres of grapes each.  The area is mainly characterized by a unique set of geological conditions.  The surface soil is gravel, more or less compact or sandy; and its subsoil contains ferrous oxide, locally known as "crasse de fer", which, together with its specific microclimate, gives Pomerol wines their distinctive personality.

It is speculated that wine grapes have been grown there ever since the Romans inhabited Gaul.  The development of the vineyards began in the 12th Century and continued throughout the Middle Ages.  Pomerol was an important stopping place along the road of the pilgrims journeying from all over Europe to the Spanish pilgrimage of Saint Jacques de Compostelle.  The Knights of Malta built a manor and a Roman church - since destroyed - as well as a hospital.  The ancient hospital is the present Château Gazin building; it may be one of the last vestiges of the middle ages in Pomerol.  Unfortunately, the troubles of the Hundred Years' War led to the abandonment of most of the vineyards.  Subsequently restored, they again suffered greatly during the Religious Wars.  Minutes in the archives of Libourne date the beginning of Pomerol's evolution toward its modern form to the middle of the 18th Century.  It began in 1753 when Louis Leonard Fontemoing, a grape-grower in a locality called "Trop Chaud" ("Too Hot"), transformed his vineyard by taking out the white grapes and putting in red grapes.  Besides the Pressac red, bouchet (or cabernet franc) and merlot made their first historically recorded appearance.  They are the dominant varieties in Pomerol today.

Some historians claim that the real ascendancy of Pomerol began in the second half of the 19th Century.  However, modern tasters have reported on many great Pomerol vintages (dating back to the 1920's) from the region's pre-eminent estate, Château Pétrus.  Nevertheless, pre-war vintages of Pomerol were not much in demand; and most winelovers of that era did not seek out Château Pétrus or any other of the notable Pomerol properties.  It was not until the legendary 1947 vintage that Pétrus gained notoriety in wine circles.  Although we have not tasted that particular vintage, those experienced tasters who have had the privilege of sampling the 1947 Pétrus at its zenith (it may still be at that level today) claim that the 1947 Pétrus is one of the greatest wines produced in the 20th Century.  Despite the fame of the 1947 vintage, another generation of winedrinkers generally ignored the wines of Pomerol.  We recall drinking exceptional Pomerols from vintages in the 1960's that commanded prices well below their counterparts in the Médoc (the area of Bordeaux where fabled estates such as Mouton, Lafite, Latour, and Margaux are located).  However, beginning in the 1980's - specifically the 1982 vintage - Pomerol began to command average prices that exceeded those of most other Bordeaux wines.  Today older vintages of Pétrus from the 1960's go for as much as $1000 to $10,000 a bottle! 

 

Pomerol Available:

 

2003 Chateau Clos L'Eglise
Price: $111.00    Sale $97.68

(93 Points) Lots of violet and floral character with plum and berry. Full, round and juicy, with plummy vanilla and chocolate character. Yummy wine. Best after 2008. 1,090 cases made. –JS  Wine Spectator Issue: Mar 31, 2006

 

2012 Gravette de Certan
Price: $71.75       Sale $63.14

(88-90 points) The second wine, the deep ruby/purple-hued, medium-bodied 2012 La Gravette de Certan, is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. It exhibits sweet mulberry and cedary notes intertwined with hints of tobacco leaf, licorice and earth as well as a thickness, no doubt from the Merlot. It should offer enjoyable drinking for a decade or more. -  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, April 2013

 

2005 Chateau La Conseillante
Price: $388.00    Sale $341.44

(96 Points) "Tasted after the Clos L'Eglise, the 2005 La Conseillante simply has more of everything. More richness, body and texture, but at the same time, there is a striking element of underlying minerality that confers freshness. The Conseillante is one of the riper wines of the night, yet all the elements are very much in the right place. A host of dark, jammy flavors meld into the effortless, flamboyant finish, where a kick of sweetness from the French oak adds the closing nuances. What a gorgeous wine this is."  Vinous / Antonio Galloni

 

1995 Chateau Lafleur Pomerol
Price: $815.00    Sale $717.20
Quantity in Stock: 1

 (93 points) This is an awesome Lafleur, but it is also an amazingly backward, tannic monster that will need more cellaring than any Medoc in this vintage. The wine boasts an opaque black/purple color, as well as a closed but promising nose that represents the essence of blackberry, raspberry, and cherry fruit. Intertwined with those aromas is the tell-tale mineral terroir of Lafleur, full body, blistering dry, astringent tannin, and a layered, weighty feel on the palate. This is the kind of young claret that I couldn't wait to rush out and buy two decades ago, but now I have to be content to admire it and wish I were twenty years younger. It is formidable, prodigious, and oh, so promising, but I cannot see it being ready to drink before the end of the second decade of the next century! Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050. Wine Advocate #115, Feb 1998

 

2005 Chateau Lafleur Pomerol
Price: $2250.00  Sale $1980
Quantity in Stock: 6

(100 Points)Exhibits a complex nose of crushed blackberry, dried flowers and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, with a rich, powerful palate. Tannic and muscular, with great length. Superracy. Builds and goes and goes. So fine and beautiful. Mythic. Best after 2017. –JS Wine Spectator Issue: Mar 31, 2008

 

2003 Chateau Nenin Pomerol
Price: $100.50    Sale $88.44
Quantity in Stock: 2

(87 points)  Pomerol is a mixed bag in 2003 as its sandy/gravelly soils were adversely impacted by the heat and drought in June, July and August. I was surprised by how well Nenin’s 2003 performed. It exhibits a dark plum color as well as attractive notes of figs, jammy black cherries and mulberries, and an elegant, medium-bodied, pure, soft, fully mature style. Consume it over the next 4-5 years. Wine Advocate #214, Aug 2014

 

1998 Chateau Petrus Pomerol
Price: $4500.00    Sale Price: $2995.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(98 Points) The 1998 Petrus is unquestionably a fabulous effort boasting a dense plum/purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of black fruits intermixed with caramel, mocha, and vanilla. Exceptionally pure, super-concentrated, and extremely full-bodied, with admirable underlying acidity as well as sweet tannin, it reveals a superb mid-palate in addition to the luxurious richness for which this great property is known. The finish lasts for 40-45 seconds. Patience will definitely be required. Production was 2,400 cases, about 1,600 cases less than normal. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2040 Wine Advocate # 134 Apr 2001

 

1999 Chateau Petrus Pomerol
Price: $3900.00    Sale Price: $3200.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(94 Points) This wine is turning out much in the style of such wonderful Petrus vintages as 1967 and 1971. Although not as outstanding as either the 1998 or 2000, it displays beautiful intensity and finesse in a more evolved style than one normally expects from this estate. The wine has a dense, nearly opaque ruby/purple color, sweet black cherry, mulberry, truffle-infused fruit, full body, low acidity, admirable purity, and sweet tannin. It should be ready to drink in 5-6 years, and will last for two decades. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030. Only 2,400 cases were produced.  Wine Advocate #140, Apr 2002

 

2010 Chateau Petrus Pomerol
Price: $4600.00    Sale Price: $3975.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

(100 Points) The harvest at Petrus took place between September 27 and October 12, and the 2010 finished at 14.1% natural alcohol, which is slightly lower than the 2009's 14.5%. The 2010 reminds me somewhat of the pre-1975 vintages of Petrus, a monster-in-the-making, with loads of mulberry, coffee, licorice and black cherry notes with an overlay of enormous amounts of glycerin and depth. Stunningly rich, full-bodied and more tannic and classic than the 2009, this is an awesome Petrus, but probably needs to be forgotten for 8-10 years. It should last at least another 50 or more.  Robert Parker (RP):

 

2005 Vieux Chateau Certan
Price: $321.00    Sale $282.48
(95 Points)  A stunning effort from Alexander Thienpont, the 2005 Vieux Chateau Certan (a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc) reveals an inky/blue/purple color along with a rich, sumptuous perfume of black olives, lavender, roasted herbs, licorice, pain grille, and oodles of truffles as well as creme de cassis. In the mouth, hints of chocolate and charcoal also make an appearance along with good acidity, fabulous purity, and a full-bodied, powerful mouthfeel. In keeping with the style of this terroir, the wine is reserved and restrained, but deep. It should develop magnificently, and age for 30-40 years. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035. Robert Parker

2007 Vieux Chateau Certan
Price: $174.00    Sale $153.12

(91 points) "Shows blackberry, fresh mushroom and Indian spices on the nose. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, glorious finish for the vintage. Well-crafted as usual. Best after 2013.  Wine Spectator

 

1986 Vieux Chateau Certain Pomerol
Price: $250.00    Sale Price: $199.00
Quantity in Stock: 5

93 points Wine Spectator: "Big, generous and concentrated, supple in texture underneath the firm tannins, with distinctive black cherry, vanilla and smoke aromas and flavors that hold their own against a strong background of wood. This will age a long time; hold until at least 1995." (06/89)

 

CH BEAUREGARD POMEROL 2000            
Price: $ 114.00   Sale $100.32

(88 Points) "This up and coming Pomerol estate has fashioned a potentially outstanding 2000 revealing the vintage's wonderful sweetness as well as a dense purple color, an opulent texture, a layered, concentrated mid-palate, and moderate tannin in the impressively deep, structured finish. It will require a few years of bottle age. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2016."-Wine Advocate       

 

CH CLINET POMEROL 2006          
Price: $ 139.25   Sale $122.54

(90 Points) "Pretty raspberry, mineral and vanilla aromas and flavors, with hints of dried herbs. Full-bodied, with good, silky tannins and a long finish that shows lots of raspberry and cherry fruit. Attractive and balanced for the vintage." Wine Spectator

 

CH CLINET POMEROL 2012          
Price: $ 136.25   Sale $119.90

(93 Points) Wine Spectator-Pomerol, Bordeaux, France-"Gorgeous plum cake, melted licorice and steeped currant and blackberry fruit is inlaid with notes of fruitcake and singed vanilla bean. Long and plush through the finish, with a buried charcoal spine that adds needed cut."

 

CH CLOS L EGLISE POMEROL 2008            
Price: $ 112.25   Sale $98.78

(92-94+ points) "An intense yet delicate effort, this Pomerol property had a tiny production in 2008, and the levels of concentration and polyphenols are as high as, or surpass those in 2005, 2001, 2000, and 1998, the most recent top vintages of Clos l-Eglise. The dense purple-colored 2008 reveals a sweet perfume of blue and black fruits, licorice, truffles, graphite, and forest floor. With superb concentration, beautiful intensity, an unevolved, backward style (no doubt due to the late harvest and late malolactics), and high, but sweet, well-integrated tannins, this full-bodied, admirably concentrated 2008 should be at its peak between 2013-2028." (04/09) Robert Parker:

 

CH GAZIN POMEROL 1998           
Price: $ 165.00   Sale $145.20

"A dense ruby/purple color is followed by aromas of charred wood, coffee, blackberry and cherry fruit, and new saddle leather. Full-bodied, dense, chewy, and intense, this muscular as well as backward vin de garde requires cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020." -Wine Advocate

 

CH LA CROIX DU CASSE POMEROL 2009 
Price: $ 70.25     Sale $61.82

(90 Points) Purchased by Philippe Casteja in 2005, this estate has jumped significantly in quality. It is not in one of the best sectors of Pomerol, located on the lower slopes off the plateau on sandy and clay soils near Taillefer. This blend of 93% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc offers up notes of coffee beans, chocolate, Asian plum sauce and mocha. A sexy, full-throttle wine with low acidity and loads of fruit, it should drink nicely for 12-15+ years.  Wine Advocate-Parker

 

CH LATOUR A POMEROL 2011    
Price: $ 160.00   Sale $140.80

(91 Points) Shows good density, with raspberry, bitter plum coulis and red currant paste notes that lend a slightly compact feel for now. The lively spice and rooibos tea hints that line the finish should emerge more with cellaring. Best from 2015 through 2025. 1,960 cases made. –JM Wine Spectator - Wine Spectator, March 2014

 

CH LE BON PASTEUR POMEROL 2005      
Price: $ 148.25   Sale $130.46

(94 Points)"A superb effort from proprietors Dany and Michel Rolland, the 2005 Bon Pasteur is the antithesis of the kind of wine Rolland’s critics claim he makes (which they ignorantly suggest are over-oaked, over-extracted, and over-the-top). Nothing could be further from the truth. Rolland, a brilliant oenologist, has done more than any other person alive today for the quality of Bordeaux. His 2005 Bon Pasteur is an elegant, subtle, deep ruby/purple-colored wine offering hints of graphite, sweet mocha, black cherries, and berries that build incrementally in the mouth, ending in a cascade of full-bodied, concentrated fruit with good acidity, beautiful tannin, and stunning precision as well as length. The tannin structure suggests 3-5 years of cellaring is warranted, but based on past examples (even the opulent 1982, which is still going strong), the 2005 should age for 25-30 years. The Wine Advocate

 

CH NENIN POMEROL 2000           
Price: $ 187.25   Sale $164.78

(93 Points) "This wine has turned out exceptionally well, and to my thinking, is the finest Nenin yet made under the Delon administration. A blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, the opaque purple-colored 2000 boasts corpulent, thick, juicy, jammy black fruits redolent with flavors of blackberries, cherries, and plums. Hints of licorice, truffles, and subtle wood are present as well. There is also tremendous opulence, thickness, and structure. A comparison with the best 1975s from Pomerol could be made, but the 2000 is sweeter and fleshier. It is a brilliant success for Nenin. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2023." - Robert Parker

 

CH NENIN POMEROL 2009           
Price: $ 90.00     Sale $79.20

(93 Points) "This is a noticeably grippier style, showing a chunky edge to the bittersweet cocoa and charcoal notes which support the core of dark fig and blackberry fruit. This has good, racy structure though, so it should settle down with cellaring. Best from 2014 through 2027. "  Wine Spectator

 

CH PETRUS POMEROL GRAND VIN 2008
Price: $ 4350.00 Sale $3828.00

(97 Points) "It is hard to call Petrus a "sleeper of the vintage," but the 2008 will merit more attention than most consumers would think. Low yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare resulted in only 25,000 bottles of this beauty. A wine of great intensity (possibly the most concentrated wine of the vintage), this 100% Merlot boasts a dark purple color as well as a sweet perfume of mocha, caramel, black cherries, black currants, earth and forest floor. Deep, unctuously textured, full-bodied and pure, it will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring and should drink well for 25-30+ years."  The Wine Advocate -

 

CH PLINCE POMEROL 2010          
Price: $ 93.50     Sale $82.28
(91-94 Points) Plump and juicy, with a friendly core of plum and blackberry character. Dark spice and anise notes chime in on the fleshy finish, and this sports a little punch. Tasted non-blind.  Wine Spectator:

CH PLINCE POMEROL 2011          
Price: $ 77.00     Sale $67.76

A fruity, straightforward, one-dimensional wine, the medium-bodied 2011 Plince reveals plum, cherry and raspberry notes. Consume it over the next 4-5 years. -Robert Parker Wine Advocate Review:
CH ROUGET POMEROL 2011       
Price: $ 115.50   Sale $101.64

Vintage 2011 was a great challenge after legendary 2009 and 2010. Unable to compete in power with his its predecessors this vintage successfully found its own unique way to subjugate wine enthusiasts. Spring was promptly very hot and dry. With temperatures reaching 30℃ during some days in April, flowering was exceptional. Constant water deficit during growth cycle forced us to rethink our viticultural practices by controlling canopy management and enabling soils to breathe. It was important to keep freshness in the vineyard to reach perfectly balanced alcoholic and phenolic maturity. Merlot, the dominant variety in Pomerol appellation, had the most to lose in this “game”. Yet, once again, Plateau’s terroir played its important role of regulator. Wines’ smoothness and delicacy surprised the greatest tasters of Pomerol. Even young, this wine delivers an extremely delicate and frank mouth feel.
Tasting Notes

Intense purple colour with garnet reflections. Bright and spicy nose, savoury blackcurrant, blackberry, plum and menthol. Ample on the palate with rich flavours of plum together with dark berries and vanilla notes. Harmonious and generous. Slightly mineral and toasted notes embraced with lacy, yet structured and opulent tannins. Persistent and complex finish with a broad mouth feel, revealing notes of cardamom and spices, with a touch of chocolate.

 

CH ROUGET POMEROL 2009       
Price: $ 76.25     Sale $67.10

(92 Points) "This opulent, sexy 2009 Rouget is composed of primarily Merlot blended with a touch of Cabernet Franc. Sandy, loamy soil notes interwoven with kirsch and Provencal garrigue jump from the glass of this full-bodied, opulent, rich Pomerol. Abundant fruit on the attack, mid-palate and finish characterize this over-achiever. Consume it over the next 15 years." The Wine Advocate

 

CH TROTANOY POMEROL 2009  
Price: $ 585.00   Sale $514.80

(97 Points) Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. What a fabulous Pomerol this is. The nose creeps up on you, dishing out blackberry, pain grille and fruitcake, later chestnuts, unfurling slowing in the glass. It is soft and bashful. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It is succulent and ripe with toasty oak towards the chestnut tinged finish that will need further bottle age to integrate. There is a wonderful peppery note on the aftertaste. Is this the Trotanoy that dares to challenge the supremacy of Petrus? Pourquoi pas!  Neal Martin's Wine Journal - Neal Martin's Wine Journal, July 2013

 

CH VIEUX CHATEAU CERTAN POMEROL 2011      
Price: $ 249.00   Sale $219.12

(96 Points) "The aromas of this are so gorgeous, with blackberries, black cherries and wet earth. Full body with super-fine tannins and bright acidity. A firm, tightly structured young red with orange peel and other citrus fruit. This is so focused and straight. Try in 2018. " James Suckling

 

CLOS BEAUREGARD POMEROL 2011       
Price: $63.00       Sale $55.44

93% Merlot/4% Cabernet Sauvignon/3% Cabernet Franc, 6 hectares of vines covering the beautiful property of Clos Beauregard run across the lower stretches of the Château Beauregard a bit of a herbal note to the plum and a note of dill, a light and easy drinking red with soft tannins. Finish 30+ Very Good