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Southwold 2013 - Pomerol

Thursday, 24th January 2013 by Stephen Browett

The appellation of Pomerol is one of the smallest in Bordeaux. Within the appellation there are hundreds of tiny properties and even a 1000-case-a-year Château would be regarded as being one of the larger producers. In many respects to me, Pomerol is the “Burgundy of Bordeaux” as the wines are made mainly by small artisan producers and (predominantly) from a single grape variety. They are very different wines, stylistically, from those of the neighbours in Saint Emilion and even further removed from the wines of the Médoc.  In very hot vintages, such as 2003, Merlot grapes can suffer from over-ripeness but 2009 is clearly a fantastic vintage for the wines of Pomerol. The wines are rich and intense with aromas of violets and rich black plum fruit.

The famous beach huts of Southwold

At Southwold the 2009 Pomerols were served in three flights, divided up roughly by price. The wines in the first flight were very pleasant, already soft, smooth and ready to drink. You won’t go wrong with a 2009 Pomerol - even from a relatively minor vineyard. The second flight contained some beautiful wines and the final flight – containing wines from the leading Châteaux of the appellation – was one of the greatest flights of wine that we have ever tasted in all my years of attending Southwold tastings. These are simply gorgeous wines that are rich, plump and inviting yet they have balance and sophistication too. 2009 Pomerol offers some of the greatest Merlot-based wines that I have ever tasted.

Pass the Pomerol from the right hand side

The group’s top five wines of Pomerol turned out to be:

  1. Pétrus
  2. Le Pin
  3. Clinet
  4. Clos l'Eglise
  5. l'Eglise Clinet

Despite this being a blind tasting, it was not difficult for most tasters to pick out Pétrus and Le Pin as truly jaw-dropping wines and they finished virtually first equal with average scores of around 18.5. One First Growth from the Médoc just pipped them to overall winner of the entire tasting but these are some of the highest scores that we have ever seen in my 20 years of taking part in these tastings. Unfortunately these near-perfect wines are virtually unobtainable in the market today and when available they are staggeringly expensive.

Right Bank Big Boys

My ten personal favourites, with brief notes and scores were these (with Lafleur and L’Evangile just behind):

Hosanna – This has a rather hot nose with high alcohol. On the palate it is a little bit too jammy at this stage. Chewy and solid, a touch roasted. Maybe a bit forced but clearly impressive. Will smooth out with time. 16

Vieux Chateau Certan - Lovely cream here, smooth, plump and silky with lots of ripe plummy fruit. A touch of tannic structure at the finish.  Serious and with hidden depth. This will need time to blossom. 16.5

La Conseillante - Sumptuous, creamy, supple and smooth. Pure Pomerol. Very classy. A really lovely, refined wine. A beautiful velvetty texture, round and plush. Not a hard edge in sight. Can be drunk when young but will age gracefully. 17

Saint Peter with the key to the gates of Heaven

La Fleur Pétrus – For a Pomerol this is a little solid, chewy, serious and dense. Not showing at its best yet but this is a serious, relatively backward wine that is clearly full of class. 17.5

Clinet – This is a deep, decadent and powerful Pomerol. Super-ripe yet refined, creamy and seductive. Hard to resist the opulent charms of this beauty. A real hedonist’s wine. 18

Trotanoy - Mouth-filling ripeness. Maybe almost a touch too much alcohol showing now and a bit “hot” but certainly densely stacked and rich. Heady and powerful. This is a monster Pomerol. 18

Clos l’Eglise - Very sexy nose. Ripe and decadent. Sensationally plump and creamy. This is really gorgeous. 18.5

Pétrus - Serious and quite structured, this has freshness despite its incredible intensity of black Merlot fruit. Certainly needs time. Great wine that will get even better. 18.5+

Le Pin – This has a sensational, soaring nose of oak, cream, vanilla and ripe fruit. Seamless, creamy, gorgeous. This is the ultimate in succulence and opulence yet not in any way forced or jammy. Oodles of class. 19 Le Pin (2nd)

l’Eglise Clinet – A very dark colour. Brooding powerful nose. Bright, but intense red fruit. What a texture! Sensational density yet there is freshness and balance too.  A finish that lingers. A totally classy and stylish wine that doesn’t need to shout. Brilliant balance. Needs time. Awesome. 19

Tagged with: Bordeaux 2009 | Southwold
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