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!

Well, there is no doubt about it. 2016 is a fascinating red wine vintage in Bordeaux across all the appellations. The quality of the wines took me by surprise, as it did Bordeaux’s vignerons themselves. The growing season proved to be the proverbial game of two halves. Spring was very wet indeed with variable weather, save for a perfect flowering period. Remarkable drought conditions then followed, with sun and heat, though the high summer days had a considerable diurnal temperature range, with cool nights. The lack of rain was a real worry by the beginning of September [with rising vine stress], but the vintage was made [saved?] but two bouts of essential rain in September. This allowed the grapes to achieve final ripeness [beautiful ripeness in many cases] which has resulted in a range of concentrated reds, with remarkably succulent tannins, fresh acids and reasonable alcohols [ie under 14 degrees]. At the top level the balance seems better than in 2009, and less obviously tannic than 2010 at this early stage. Amongst the wines l managed to taste, the vintage seemed more homogeneous too than 2015 [the 2016 vintage succeeds on both the left and right banks]. Some properties may have made perhaps their best ever wines [though only time will tell]. 2016 didn’t seem to be an exciting vintage for dry whites, though many were well made considering the challenging drought conditions, they didn’t leap out of the glass. I’ll be writing a more detailed overview in the coming week but here are my first thoughts as I began my tastings last Saturday in St Emilion.

There was some variation amongst the 2014 Lalande de Pomerol’s tasted in Bordeaux last month. A number are extremely impressive. Top of the list here would be Château La Fleur de Boüard [and sibling Le Plus], Domaines des Sabines and Château Les Vieux Ormes. I also enjoyed the tension and elegance in Château Siaurac, the grit and chew of Château de Chambrun and the plushness of Château Grand Ormeau. To varying degrees the other wines felt a little lean and harder edged. You’d imagine these will fill in and round out after elévage, so it would be good to look at them again further down the track.