There’s no doubt that 2010 is an outstanding vintage in Pomerol. As ever the winemaking seems to be more in check here than in neighbouring St Emilion. Pomerol’s clay soils too helped the vineyards cope with the drought conditions that characterized the 2010 growing season, which would have also improved grape ripening and the preservation of acidity. And it’s acidity and freshness that defines the beauty of these wines here in Pomerol in 2010. Cool nighttime conditions in August – 2010 was a dry vintage rather than heatwave – will further have helped preserve this acidity, especially so for growers who pick at optimum ripeness but who also keep a keen eye on grape acids.

You can always rely on Pomerol to provide something lush. It’s a tough call arriving at these wines last as I did at the MW tasting, particularly after some hefty numbers in St Emilion, but the fact is that Pomerol’s wines felt more nimble on their feet than those of their immediate Right Bank neighbour. There was also freshness and delicacy here. Along with the reds of Pessac-Léognan, many of these Pomerols are attractive already, and should provide satisfying drinking in the medium term.

Overall Pomerol has produced some very vibrant wines in 2011 despite a tricky growing season. Maybe the clay soils that the region is famous for helped guard against the early drought and heat spikes. September rain too undoubtedly affected some and rot would have been a concern. There is variability here, however, particularly among the less well known estates. Some display under ripe characters, others have over extracted, some, it seems, are green and extracted. It’s the usual 2011 story then, here ,as elsewhere. Making the best wines needed laborious work in the vineyard, the grapes required strict selection at harvest and the resultant wines suited a gentle hand in the cellar.

If the seven wines below are any guide to the way the 2009 vintage is progressing in Pomerol, the vintage looks very exciting indeed. Chateau La Conseillante, Chateau Clinet and Chateau Petit-Village are outstanding wines. La Conseillante was the least impressive of the trio when tasted last April, but it has moved on significantly in terms of weight, depth and complexity. Chateau Clinet is gorgeous, simply dazzling. Just beneath this stratosphere, but only just, Chateau Gazin has produced a terrific wine, certainly the best I’ve had from this estate, though it’s not quite the bargain it once was. Not that you really get bargain Pomerol these days, but Chateau Beauregard and Chateau La Pointe provide real bang for your buck, La Pointe especially which has produced a sumptuous wine.  Chateau La Cabanne feels a bit pedestrian by comparison but it’s a pretty good effort in itself.