| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This micro-cuvée is produced from four tiny plots on the Pomerol plateau totalling 1 hectare. One plot is in front of Clinet, one in front of La Fleur Petrus, one between Le Pin and Trotanoy and the other next to Rouget. This property is owned by Peter Kwok, who bought it as "Cornaline" in 2011. It is produced only in great vintages (no 2013 was produced). Michel Rolland is consulting and Jérôme Aguirre, formerly of La Violette and Le Gay, is the head winemaker. The wine is made from 100% Merlot grapes, is micro-vinified with whole berry fermentation in 100% new oak. Annual production is a miniscule 3000 bottles.
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Enclos Tourmaline
A big, powerful wine, Enclos Tourmaline races across the palate with inky dark plum, chocolate, spice, licorice and new oak. All the elements meld together in a rich, sensual Pomerol loaded with personality. Readers should expect a rich, potent style. Drink 2022-2032.
The 2017 Enclos Tourmaline was cropped at 35hl/ha and saw no SO2 during fermentation. It maintains that ostentatious bouquet that I noticed from barrel with quite precocious black cherries and blueberries on the nose. Lush and slightly heady in style, it will appease to readers who seek hedonistic Pomerols. Thankfully the palate shows a modicum of restraint and whilst the 2017 does not quite match the 2015 or 2016, it displays an intensity, perhaps even a hubris, that ensures that it sticks its head above its peers. Very fine. 2022-2037.
Fantastic purity and depth to this young wine and especially for the vintage. Medium to full body. Creamy and beautifully textured with gorgeous richness and balance. Harmonious. Love the texture. 100% merlot. Hard not to drink now, but better in 2022. 2,000 bottles made.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Enclos Tourmaline (100% Merlot) opens with baked blackberries and black forest cake scents plus underlying spice cake, espresso and preserved plums hints. The medium to full-bodied palate has very firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness supporting the berry preserves flavors, finishing on a spicy note.
There will only be 2400 produced in 2017 with maturation in 60% new oak. Deep and inky-hued in the glass, this is a very ripe and concentrated style for 2017. With a rich cassis and bramble fruit notes, there are just hints of spiciness and smoke from the oak. The palate has a tannic backbone that is chewy and rich, suggesting quite a heavy extraction. The fruit is reminiscent of wild blackberry and boysenberry, fleshing out through the finish, which has a lively, lifted acidity. This is dense and compact at the moment, and will need time to unfurl.
Brooding black fruits, the nose is sweet the palate packed with ripe fruit. Dark chocolate is behind the fleshy black plums the tannins rounded adding to the mid suppleness there is a balancing freshness leafy the finish slightly tight. 2025-38
This is a very concentrated wine with dark chocolate notes and a very intense depth of fruit. It is deep, dark and menacing and there are few aromatic top notes, preferring to concentrate on lower bass notes of flavour. The tannins are firm and commanding but not harsh and the oak cradles the fruit beautifully. This is a very calm and contemplative wine which will age very well and very slowly.
The 2017 Enclos Tourmaline, a recent arrival on the Pomerol scene after its formation by Peter Kwok, has a very ripe and rather ostentatious bouquet, a slight carbonic quality that detracts from the quality. The palate is a little hard on the entry, the start of a compact and dense Pomerol that does not deliver the same degree of panache and sophistication of the previous two vintages that I have rated highly. It is as if this 2017 is desperate to achieve the same level when it would have been better not to try. Tasted two or three times, it was a wine that needs to manifest more charm and grace by the time it is bottled. Drink 2022 - 2035.
This is very structured and dense with ripe tannins and an encompassing mouthfeel for the vintage. Full-bodied, layered and rich. Beautiful fruit and intensity. Only 2,500 bottles made.
