There were only six wines from Pomerol in 2019 on tasting at the MW Institute’s annual Bordeaux tasting last year. Their collective quality made up for the lack of numbers. Château l’Evangile was sublime. It has wonderfully pure plummy Merlot tones and wonderful freshness. Château Clinet is as seductive as ever. It has deep, layered aromatics and a caressing palate which also retains freshness. Château Petit Village was also very impressive with fabulously glossy qualities and plenty of depth and poise. Château Vray Croix de Gay was inky and textured and reminiscent of Château Gazin [not on show]. Château Beauregard also looked good at the more affordable end of the Pomerol price ladder. Sadly the Moueix properties weren’t on show this year [Château Hosanna, Château Trotanoy or Château La Fleur-Pétrus], though they have been in past tastings.

Only seven wines from Pomerol were shown at the MW 2016 tasting back in late 2021. They were all thrilling. The pick for me was Château La Conseillante. This is so plush and layered, yet despite the density and concentration it dazzles and dances on the palate. What a wine. Château Trotanoy was its equal. It was cool and fresh yet with layer upon layer of flavour. Wonderful balance. Super wines have also been made by Château Clinet and Château Gazin. The former creamy and opulent as usual, the latter, sturdy with plenty of textured fruit and notes of smoked charcuterie and meats. Château Hosanna showed excellent purity and Château La Fleur Pétrus had wonderfully plummy fruit tones with texture and depth. Château Nénin was jam packed with plum and black cherry fruit. This property has advanced so much since the Delon tenure here.

It’s taken me a while to post these notes on seventy-three wines from the MW Institute’s horizontal 2016 Bordeaux tasting held at the very end of 2021. Looking back on the notes I’m reminded quite what a unique vintage this is. In a decade with at least three other contenders to greatness [2010, 2018 and 2019 – with 2015 also very good] what really impresses in 2016 is the breadth of quality across all Bordeaux’s red appellations and the balance in the wines. They have ripe fruit, juicy acidities and great textures. They are extremely moreish. There’s not the over-extraction that was more common in 2010, nor the exaggerated ripeness of some 2018s, nor the hefty alcohols you can find in the 2019s [though ’19 is a truly wonderful vintage]. Many of these ’16s are well under 14% [with exceptions in St Emilion and Pomerol]. It makes this a Bordeaux vintage to drink without fearing a blinding headache. That said many of the wines have retreated into their shells a fair bit since bottling. You will want to wait to broach wine from Pauillac, St Julien and definitely St Estèphe. Many in St Emilion and Pomerol are now starting to drink well, along with the top wines from Pessac-Léognan. Still there’s no hurry at all really as these wines are so well balanced and fresh. So, what were picks of the MW tasting?

This is a small snapshot of bottled 2017 to draw conclusions from but these notes can be augmented by observations I made initially about the appellation during primeurs, found here. Again, frost affected Pomerol estates mostly in terms of volumes and blends. There is variation [one of the characteristics of the vintage] but a number of excellent wines have been made. There is something tremendously decadent about top Pomerol, and for me Château La Conseillante really wowed at the tasting, alongside a seriously impressive Château Clinet. Château Petit-Village looked very good as usual, not that far behind at all. I’ve been impressed by the improvement of Château Beauregard in recent vintages. This is testament to work that has been undertaken in the vineyard and the cellar there, as well as the product of a vintage when Cab Franc has shone through, which Beauregard has extensive plantings of. Château Le Bon Pasteur was also good. The misfire for me was Château Gazin, which felt a little austere in comparison with its peers.