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Bordeaux 2018: Pomerol

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

This year a shortage of time only allowed me the opportunity to taste eleven wines from Pomerol that were shown at the Grand Cercle event in April, along with a few others with Jean-Luc Thunevin. In May I had the opportunity to taste Château Gazin, which was wonderfully pure and strong. Overall, it’s been difficult to draw firm conclusions on such a small sample, but the wines I’ve tasted from Pomerol certainly show plenty of joyful, ripe fruit and considerable style. The wines were generally low in acidity. Again, as in St Emilion, to me they didn’t have the delightful tension of the 2015 and 2016 vintages, with 2018 seemingly much more akin to 2009 in style. If there is a flaw, it is that the wines lack acidity. That said, many will provide immediately pleasure and this doesn’t feel like a vintage that will need much time in bottle.

I hope you find the following notes useful. They are broadly in alphabetical order. The notes, as ever, are more important than the numbers…

Château Bellegrave, Pomerol, 2018

Mid depth; earthy red at edge; satin; ripe Merlot; sturdy; not overripe or especially lifted; little undergrowth at the edge; sweet entry; lots of fruit; sturdy Pomerol; works well; little straightforward perhaps but honest. Punchy finish with some life. Tasted April 2019. Drink 2024-2032. 89-91+

Château Bourgneuf, Pomerol, 2018

Deepish; less tight to the rim than some; little reductive plum and black cherry tones; some savoury notes too; little undergrowth; still a tad reductive and took time to open up in the glass; sweet entry to the fruit; ripe; satin quality here actually; appears to be depth; quite caressing and super ripe and supple tannins; low in acidity but will work. Tasted April 2019. Drink 2024-2035. 88-90+

Clos de la Beau Père, Pomerol, 2018

Deep; colour tight to the rim; right to edge; spices; fruitcake; creamy plum notes; this is a nicely focused nose; layers here; works really well; glossy; still feels Bordeaux too; lots of fruit but really focused; some oak on the palate but this will work through; not disjoined; feels like the fruit is soaking up the oak; feels big with lots of extract but very focused; alcohol; chocolate; extract at the end. Good length. Drink 2024-2039. 91-93+

Clos de la Vielle Eglise, Pomerol, 2018

Mid depth; earthy red at edge; legs; lovely fruit; plums; some spices; feels fresh; like this; appetizing style of Pomerol; some layers to the nose too; red fruits – redcurrants; raspberry notes; nice entry; lush sweet fruit; attractive palate; [reminds me of ‘09]; very supple and soft Pomerol; should provide lots of pleasure. Ripe and soft. Tasted April 2019 Drink 2023-2032. 89-91+

Clos Vieux Taillefer, Pomerol, 2018

Mid depth; red at edge; stalky blackcurrant notes; some cherry; some ripe qualities but a bit short of flavour in this company; feels a little simple; fruit is ripe and has satin and supple quality; alcohol here; lacks flavor. Some dry tannin at end. Feels a little hollow by comparison to many at Grand Cercle event. Tasted April 2019. Drink 2023-2029. 85-87

Château La Clémence, Pomerol, 2018

Deep and dark; red purple; tight to rim; liquorice and creamy black fruits; lifted; modern; appealing; creamy black cherry and plum; oak influenced; serious; ripe entry and oak; oak is noticeable but the fruit is stull sweet and caressing…little dryness creeps in at the back palate; very low acid style. Some tannin at the end [or wood tannin]. Should come together. Tasted April 2019. Drink 2024-2034. 87-89

Château La Commanderie, Pomerol, 2018

Deep; purple at edge; ripe Merlot; nice and pure if uncomplicated; quite sturdy and has depth and purity nevertheless; solid entry; little compact perhaps – or old fashioned – but has greater freshness than some. Should work well after elévage. Nice finish with some length. More bite than some and finishes with some dark chocolate, smoky notes. Tasted April 2018. Drink 2025-2035. 88-90

Château Feytit-Clinet, Pomerol, 2018

Deep and arterial; colour tight to the rim; little more lift and jam, but this still works well. Black cherry jam; some smoke from the oak; some sweetness too; alcohol; ripe; nice plummy tones; full and caressing on the palate; lots of matter; tannins very ripe and supple; nice texture. Low acid style. Tasted April 2019. Drink 2024-2035. 91-93+

Château Fleur de la Plince, Pomerol, 2018

Deep and vibrant looking; little brooding; inky; sweet and ripe palate; works well; has nice extract and is soft and appealing; satin tannins. Works! Has nice length at the back. Good stuff. Tasted April 2019. Drink 2024-2033. 88-90+

Château Gazin, Pomerol, 2018

Deeply coloured; attractive looking; lovely pure fruit aromatics; plums, spices; nicely perfumed; great purity here; real delicacy on the palate; layered, sweet ripe fruit; the wine has evident structure and power beneath the fruit. Great stuff. Tasted May 2019. Drink 2025-2045. 95-96+

Château Lécuyer, Pomerol, 2018

Deep; earthy red at edge; sturdy; some stalky notes; some plum and blackcurrant; some jam; blackcurrant jam; unctuous, sublimated style; but there is a core here; very flattering; some dryness to the palate oak; but feel that the strawberry, plum jam fruit will soak this all up in the end. Finish is a little dry but there is texture the fruit. Tasted April 2019. Drink 2025-2035. 88-90+

Château Mazeyres, Pomerol, 2018

Mid depth but has life and vibrant purple edge; more lifted; some black cherry and jam tones; little bubblegum too; almost serious cru Beaujolais style; sweet fruit; ripe; soft; easy palate; has supple tannins and low acidity; will drink well young and in the medium term. Tasted April 2019. Drink 2023-2032. 87-89+

Château Le Moulin, Pomerol, 2018

Deeper; earthy purple at edge; more intense; depth; oak influence; some perfume lift from the oak and violet fruit tones; savoury note beneath; little liqourice; ink; nice entry; savoury fruit again; caressing; like this; really ripe vintage; very soft and supple; really easy on the palate. Soft finish. Crowd pleasing with savoury edge. Tasted April 2019. Drink 2025-2035. 90-92+ [Second note from tasting with Jean-Luc Thunevin] Deep and saturated; colour tight to the rim; sweet ripe plums and lashings of them; tuck into this with joy; really attractive; red fruits; lovely; some jam in the glass; sweet entry; plenty of layered and lush fruit here; best Le Moulin I’ve had; there is extract and sweetness; but this works. Considerable extract and matter on the finish suggests a good evolution ahead. Tasted April 2019. Drink 2024-2039. 91-93+

Château Taillefer, Pomerol, 2018

Deep arterial; ripe and creamy black plum tones; nice seam of lush fruit on the nose; layered evidently and pure; like this; little liqourice; creamy fruit entry; some coffee; texture; sweetness; lacks a bit of life; little plodding at the end; coffee on the finish. Needs more life ideally. Low acid style of Pomerol. Tasted April 2019. Tasted 87-89

Château Vieux Maillet, Pomerol, 2018

Deep and arterial; colour quite tight to rim; sweet with some oak; ripe blackcurrant jam and plum; feels deep; purity here in fact; ripe entry; convincing depth; plenty of fruit; very supple tannin; easy style; some tannin at the end; little lose; could be more appetising in terms of acidity but this is attractive Pomerol. Tasted April 2019. Drink 2023-2032. 89-91+

Château Vray Croix de Gay, Pomerol, 2018

Deep and saturated; opaque at centre; lush Merlot; plums; ripe black cherry; layers; some dark chocolate notes too; sweet easy entry; ripe supple fruit; big middle but not dominated by extractive notes; medium eight; has structure and acidity, works well. Like the zap. Tasted April 2019. Drink 2023-2035. 92-94+

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