There’s lots to like in Lalande de Pomerol in 2020. Many of the wines have healthy colours, plenty of attractive black fruits and genuine freshness. There are a few that feel the need for a bit more flesh, but many may full out further during élevage. Excellent wines have been made by Château de Chambrun, Château La Fleur de Boüard, Château Grand Ormeau, Château Tournefeuille, La Surgue and Enclos de Viaud. The super cuvée Le Plus from Château La Fleur de Boüard continues to impress. The 2020 Le Plus is concentrated, fancy stuff. The following blog post contains notes on a dozen wines. I hope you find them useful!

Château de Chambrun, Lalande de Pomerol, 2020

Good colour; deep; purple edge; healthy looking; perfumed fruit; some violet lift alongside plums and black cherries; vivid; opens up wonderfully; like this a lot; fresh entry; vivid perfumed black fruit; plums; black cherry; some spice; nice zap and freshness here; has life. Positive Lalande de Pomerol that will develop well. Inky on the finish. Fresh and sappy. Tasted May, 2021. Drink 2024-2038. 90-91+

Château La Fleur de Boüard, Lalande de Pomerol, 2020

Deep and dark; vibrant purple at edge; layered and composed; plums and black fruits; opens up in the glass; layered black fruits on the nose; some liquorice and tar; really nicely polished wine with finesse; this never fails; salty tang; sweet fruit; delicious; wonderful precision to the wine; great finesse; lovely palate; creamy fruit that has concentration and precision. A star that shines brightly this in Lalande de Pomerol. Lovely stuff. Great length. Tasted April, 2021. Drink 2024-2038. 91-93+

Château Grand Ormeau, Lalande de Pomerol, 2020

Deep and dark; opaque at centre but healthy and vivid; refined aromatics; briary and blackcurrant notes; satin quality; layered and polished; savoury tang too; nice entry on the palate; plenty of fruit which fills out the structure; freshness too; works well in this vintage. Plenty of extract and focus on the finish. Tasted May, 2021. Drink 2024-2037. 90-91

Château Jean de Gué, Lalande de Pomerol, 2020

Deep at centre; earthy purple at edge; legs; solid initially; some savoury notes; wine gum and briary notes; some spices and wood notes; plenty of sweet fruit; savoury too; some black fruit tones; chocolate and spice; gutsy and a little dry on the end. Tasted May, 2021. Drink 2024-2035. 86-88

Château Maine-Chaigneau, Lalande de Pomerol, 2020

Deep; red purple at edge; refined; black fruits; focused and layered with attractive pain grillé notes; like this; nicely aromatic; some liquorice too; sweetness from the oak; sweet entry; wine a little dominated by the oak but plenty of black fruits here; plums and black cherry; black stone fruits; lacks a bit of vitality on the finish, but plenty here. Quite heady finish suggests alcohol. Tasted May, 2021. Drink 2024-2032 88-90

Château Moncets, Lalande de Pomerol, 2020

Deep colour; purple edge; vibrant purple at edge; more saline initially; schist mineral edge at first; polished black fruits beneath; elegant but nicely composed on the palate; not hugely fleshy but has structure and elegance. Fresh twist on the end and nice texture to the fruit. Could do with a little more flesh but may fill out during élevage. Tasted May, 2021. Drink 2025-2038. 88-90

Château St Jean de Lavaud, Lalande de Pomerol, 2020

Mid depth; deep at core; rich and ripe; sweet black fruits; plum pudding notes; full and tarry notes; ripe and sweet on the palate; chunky black cherry fruit with chocolate notes; easy finish. Nice gloss and texture here. [90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 1.1 ha, approx. 5000 bottles]. Tasted May, 2021. Drink 2024-2035. 89-91

Château Tournefeuille, Lalande de Pomerol, 2020

Deep and dark; saturated looking; briary; black cherry notes; more fruit driven aromatics; satin quality here; focused and complete; very nice indeed; very clean and pure; like this; very nicely focused and layered; plenty of extract and tannins have texture and sweetness; nice bite on the finish. Very good stuff here. Layered and enticing! Tasted May, 2021. Drink 2024-2037. 90-92+

Enclos de Viaud, Lalande de Pomerol, 2020

Deep; purple at edge; healthy looking; ripe plummy fruit; sweet and joyful; opens up in the glass nicely; attractive; blackcurrant fruit beneath; has layers here; like the spicy and briary fruit on the palate; very attractive and caressing; briary and blackcurrant fruit with plum tones; medium weight and nicely judged; not a whopper; or doesn’t feel it; actually has elegance; some sap on the finish but nicely balanced and integrated. I like this very much! Once again there are some excellent Lalande de Pomerol’s this year and this is undoubtedly one of them. Attractive stuff. Impressive. Emphasis on the bright summer fruits but this has intensity and layers. [3.18 ha, 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, pH 3.72, yield 36 hl/ha, élevage 10% new oak, 90% one year. Harvest September 24.] Tasted April, 2021. Drink 2023-2032. 91-93+

Le Lion de La Fleur de Boüard, Lalande de Pomerol, 2020

Deep and dark; vibrant purple red at edge; ripe red and black fruits; bit of a medley; some tar; sweet entry to the fruit; some strawberry and raspberry notes; nice texture here; plenty in this; quite substantial; chunky finish; chocolate and mocha notes. Nice bite toward the end. Tasted April, 2021. Drink 2023-2030. 88-90

Le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard, Cuvée Diana, Lalande de Pomerol, 2020

Dense on opaque at centre; unfathomably blackness; deep; oak on the nose; black fruits beneath; spices; black cheery; liquorice; tar; oak; deep; pain grillé notes; very concentrated; impressive; sweet entry to the fruit; a beauty; the old iron fist in the velvet glove; super wine again here; layers of fruit to the palate; tightly woven but at the same time the fruit has a real velvet quality to it. Great length. This is more fancy stuff – yet again here. Tasted April, 2021. Drink 2025-2040. 94-96+

La Surgue, Lalande de Pomerol, 2020

Deep; red purple at edge; sweet fruit, spices and undergrowth notes; not initially as expressive as some but opened up well; ripe blackcurrant and plum fruit revealed; really clean and textured; has purity and concentration; inky finish but this will work well. Lovely fruit. Impressive finesse. Tasted May, 2021. Drink 2024-2035. 90-91+