I tasted fewer wines from Pomerol than I’d have liked owing to a shortage of time on my recent Bordeaux primeurs trip. I stopped off at Château Beauregard for the UGCB tasting there. This line-up was generally very consistent, and many attractive wines have been made. They are all very much of the vintage, structured, vivid and fresh. Earlier in the trip I tasted blind the Pomerol represented by the Grand Cercle. These were a bit more mixed, which I think is related to the challenges of heat and drought in 2025 and what this meant for soils on drier sandier plots. There seemed a correlation with those wines that felt a bit less ripe in tannin, with more austerity, and being on sandier soils. Remember that the yields in 2025 were also very low, not simply owing to the heat and drought, but also the inherited effects of the tricky flowering period in the preceding 2024 growing season. In fact, yields were generally in the 30hl/ha area. So, what are my picks?

Again, this is limited to the wines tasted. Many of the top wines don’t show at the group tastings and I didn’t get the chance to do the Moueix tastings in Libourne or the other top properties like Château La Conseillante, Vieux Château Certain, Château L’Evangile, Château Petrus and Château Le Pin and the like. I hope to correct some of these omissions soon. Amongst those that I did try I was very impressed with Château Beauregard, Château Clinet [a beauty], Château Feytit Clinet, Château Gazin, Château Le Gay, Château Le Croix de Gay, Château La Pointe, Château Petit Village and Château Le Bon Pasteur.

Here are my detailed notes. I hope useful!

Château Beauregard, Pomerol, 2025

Deep colour; healthy and glossy looking; ripe plums and has some generous density o the nose; opens up with plums to the fore; quite enticing; some spices too from the Cabernet Franc; I’ve always liked Beauregard; works nicely; has freshness and spice as well as layers; works well; has real sap and moreishness too on the palate. Energetic and vivacious Beauregard. Has some sap and texture on the end which hints at the dry summer. Tasted UGCB 21/4/26. Drink 2029-2045. 91+93+

Château Bourgneuf, Pomerol, 2025

Deep and saturated; deep at centre; creamy black fruits; soft with some lift; little stoney, mineral note; little more saline and fresher; quite sweet and sour black cherry notes; has zap; some austerity on the end and palate a bit drying [might be the acidity]. This needs to come together a bit more during élevage but the elements are there. Tasted blind at Grand Cercle 19/4/26. Drink 2028-2040.  87-90

Château Clinet, Pomerol, 2025

Mid depth; glossy and healthy looking; focused aromatics; seam of black plummy fruit with some spicy oak; works well; layered; enticing sweet plummy fruit; laser focused; has gravity on the palate as well as intensity; attractive plummy aspect in a focused seam; this should work very well. Super Clinet. Tasted UGCB 21/4/26. Drink 2029-2050. 94-96+

Château Feytit-Clinet, Pomerol, 2025

Deep and saturated; colour tight to rim; opaque at centre; lovely saturated black cherry aromatics with savoury edge; freshness here; enticing; nice complexity alongside the summer fruit pudding notes; zappy edge; nice entry; quite tight and compact; fresher style; had body but also some blue fruits and tightness which bodes well for future development; zappy finish. Lively. Nice length and punctuation on the end. Has life and freshness; lovely wine. Tasted blind at Grand Cercle 19/4/26. Drink 2028-2042. 92-94+

Château Gazin, Pomerol, 2025

Mid depth; healthy looking; ripe and enticing plummy aromatics; good clarity of aromatics; clean and pure; really lovely plummy spicy notes; clean and pure entry; plums, spices; some genuine intensity; lots of extract and concentration; good purity and clarity; not too extracted with emphasis on the fruit and the purity. Tasted UGCB 21/4/26. Drink 2029-2050. 93-95+

Château La Cabanne, Pomerol, 2025

Deep and dark at centre; quite ripe fruitcake notes and spice; intense; almost meady note with the intensity; plenty of molasses and fruit cake spices; quite a dry palate owing to the oak or barrique influence on the sample. Little chewy on the finish. Feels like they could have done with a little more rain or less heat. See how this goes during élevage. Tasted UGCB 21/4/26. Drink 2029-2040. 88-90

Château La Commanderie, Pomerol, 2025

Mid depth; slightly looser at edge; bluer tones; little stewed/boiled sweet note; almost medicinal; black cherry; again nice zap and texture; quite hight tones and blue fruit toned; has texture and zap; tannins are a bit grippy and attenuated. Not over extracted but definitely on the sappier end of things. Tasted blind at Grand Cercle 19/4/26. Drink 2028-2037. 88-90

Château La Pointe, Pomerol, 2025

Mid depth; healthy looking vivid colours; bright, plummy clear aromatics; enticing; very attractive purity; very nice; deep and attractive; blue fruit tones; tight and intense; plums and blueberries but with a sweetness to the tannins; this works well; nice extract and grip. Works well. Punctuation at the end. Tasted UGCB 21/4/26. Drink 2029-2040. 92-94+

Château Le Bon Pasteur, Pomerol, 2025

Mid depth; healthy looking; solid, spicy briary notes on the aromas; some lift too; red fruits; sweet and sour notes; cool entry on the palate; plummy spicy notes; some wood influence but this has juice, texture and life; some dryness on the end but this should work out well. Tasted UGCB 21/4/26. Drink 2029-2045. 91-93

Château Le Gay, Pomerol, 2025

Mid depth; fresh looking at the edge; spices and some red fruit notes; sone lift and VA; some chocolate notes; spices, red fruits quite seductive; spicy red fruits, strawberry, redcurrant notes; has texture and grip but also some freshness; little coconut element on the finish. Has some alcohol on the finish compared with others. Tasted UGCB 21/4/26. Drink 2029-2042. 91-93+

Château Le Croix de Gay, Pomerol, 2025

Mid depth; not amongst the darkest; fresh and glossy looking; sweet and spicy aromatics; some lift; black plummy fruits beneath; nice seam of plummy fruit; very attractive; silky, spicy and satin notes; ripe cherry and plum fruits; sweet and ripe and very enticing on the palate; works a treat; almost Burgundian; really attractive and decadent without over doing it. Little tight on the finish but still satisfying. Tasted UGCB 21/4/26. Drink 2029-2042.  92-93+

Château Maillet, Pomerol, 2025

Vibrant colour; deep at centre; legs; round and generous; oak and sweet fruit well integrated; quite polished; some satin and spice notes too; nice entry; fine sea of plummy, black cherry fruit; has zap and balance; quite zappy palate with notes of dark chocolate and some bitterness on the end. Tasted blind at Grand Cercle 19/4/26. Drink 2028-2037. 88-90

Château Petit Village, Pomerol, 2025

Mid depth; healthy and vibrant; not as concentrated as many colour-wise; seductive plummy aromatics; has some leafy notes on the edge; attractive purity; full and open; freshness; quite intense and concentrated on the palate; tightly wound with lots of intensity and concentration yet the tannins are well handled; good spicy finish with extract and punctuation; some tannin on the end but this works very well overall. Tasted UGCB 21/4/26. Drink 2029-2045. 92-94+

Château Rouget, Pomerol, 2025

Mid depth; glossy; wet rock, sweet ripeness; enticing some spices and black fruits beneath; quite sexy in its way; quite plump but with a certain density and intensity; some resin; spice; nice zap and freshness; works well; little dryness on the finish. Some chew on the back. [owners from Burgundy and undertook some pigeage and whole cluster ferments]. Tasted UGCB 21/4/26. Drink 2029-2042. 91-93+

Clos Vieux Taillefer, Pomerol, 2025

Mid depth; looser at rim than both; creamy and more developed; some oak and red fruit notes; little geranium; palate has some sap and grip; little looser and lacking in concentration; slightly diffuse and light on the finish. Lacks phenolic ripeness relative to the others. Tasted blind at Grand Cercle 19/4/26. Drink 2028-2037. 86-88