Whilst the incredible Indian summer undoubtedly turned around the fortunes of the 2014 vintage, the growing season in Pomerol was not without its challenges. Stormy showers punctuated much of June, July and August and, in terms of overall rainfall throughout the year, it was one of the wettest since in a decade. Despite the rain, the sunny and generally dry conditions that characterised September and October, were sufficient to successfully ripen the Merlot and were particularly beneficial to Cabernet Franc, which looks to have succeeded very well 2014. As always success depended on terroir and diligence. There is great vibrancy in the best wines, which show genuine style and verve, but in a few cases there also appears some dilution.

The wines from the Jean-Pierre Moueix stable are invigorating. There’s a zap and bounce to the Pomerols here that is refreshing and my feeling is that they have done extremely well with their 2014s. There is plenty of pretty, vibrant fruit and sappy vigour on offer, wines with a juicy texture and ripe, soft tannins. It makes these wines irresistible to me. Amongst the more affordable Pomerols, Château Lafleur-Gazin is delicious, Château Bourgneuf has depth and texture and Château Plince has attractive delicacy. Further up Château Latour à Pomerol is layered and vital while Château Hosanna is a voluptuous beauty and virtually steals the show. Château La Fleur-Pétrus is silky and delicate and Château Trotanoy substantial.

Overall in 2013 Pomerol has not made wines as good as in 2011 and 2012. Perhaps the quality lies somewhere between 2007 and 2008, though the acidity seems more marked than in both those years. There are successes but also disappointments. At the Cercle Rive Droite tasting, Pomerol was outplayed by the St Emilion Grand Crus Classé shown. At the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux tasting the standard felt better, but if the wines were more consistent, they felt a little compact, sometimes lacking expression, strange in an appellation not usually shy in coming forward. Not even Pomerol’s natural exuberance can quite defy the gravity of the 2013 vintage it seems.

Christian Moueix is philosophical about the vagaries of the 2013 growing season, not surprising given the breadth of his experience, and pragmatic about the hard choices the vintage necessitated. Still there’s no disguising the disappointment here, both at the quality that the season offered even the most diligent of producers and the pitiful volumes produced. The Moueix Pomerols are elegant and fresh in 2013 but there is less depth here than in 2011 or 2012. Château Trotanoy and Château La Fleur-Pétrus remain excellent wines in the vintage context. At the opposite end of the price spectrum, Château Bourgneuf, looks a pretty good bet.