Bordeaux Wine Guide: Region 9 - Pomerol

[Matthias R WHT]

Of all the more famous regions of Bordeaux I think it is Pomerol that
perhaps I know least well. This is perhaps a somewhat strange state of
affairs, as after all Pomerol is the smallest of all the well known
appellations of Bordeaux, especially when we compare it to
neighbouring St Emilion, the vineyards of which cover more than 5000
hectares, dwarfing Pomerol, which boasts less than 800 hectares. My
point is that it should not, perhaps, take too long to become
accustomed with its wines, especially as I have spent no less time in
Pomerol than I have in any other appellation around the Garonne,
Dordogne and Gironde. I have tasted many of the top wines of the
commune, including Petrus, Trotanoy and other wines from the Jean-
Pierre Moueix stable; I have visited top estates, such as Jacques
Theinpont's Le Pin in 2008, and perhaps less celebrated names such as
Taillefer, home to Catherine Moueix, in late 2006. Vertical tastings
that I have attended, such as a mini-vertical of Vieux Chateau Certan
a few years ago, show that there are some fabulous wines being
produced here, even in lesser vintages. I have no prejudice against
the region, that is for sure; the exotic spice and opulent yet fresh
fruit that can be found in the wines excites my palate in a way that
no other Bordeaux does. I think it is merely that my own vinous
education has concentrated so wholeheartedly on the left bank, and
perhaps it is also the case that the left bank has, in the past,
offered more value wines which offer a true insight into what the
vineyards there are capable of, whereas with Pomerol perhaps this
simply hasn't been the case?


Pomerol - A Different Story

Although Pomerol has a long history of viticulture and winemaking it
is not one that has much in common with the development of the left
bank appellations, or indeed with neighbouring St Emilion. The vine
has been cultivated on the right bank, including Pomerol, since the
time of Roman occupation, and the names of some estates - notably
Figeac and Ausone (both in St Emilion, not Pomerol) date from this
era. On the left bank viticulture in Graves and Sauternes has
flourished since Medieval times, but in Pomerol it has waxed and
waned, and during the Hundred Years' War the vineyards were abandoned
altogether. It was not until the 15th Century that there was any
replanting, preceding the draining of the Médoc by more than a hundred
years. Despite this the region remained an obscure one in viticultural
circles, thought of by many as little more than a satellite of St
Emilion. There was no influx of rich landlords as there was around St
Estèphe, Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux; Pomerol had no Marquis
Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur to name as the Prince des Vignes, and no
Baron Hector de Brane to similarly christen as Napoléon des Vines.
There were no wealthy bankers or landed gentry interested in this
rural backwater, and thus the landscape remained one dotted with
farmhouses, criss-crossed by country lanes, with no grand châteaux, no
mansard roofs, and barely a tiled turret to be seen.

The wines of this supposedly 'minor' region were not widely
appreciated, and the vignerons and merchants that had settled here
worked had to develop export markets for their wines. They found
buyers in France, Holland and particularly Belgium, and the market
they built up in the latter country perhaps goes some way to
explaining the Belgian presence in Pomerol that exists today. The
wines of the left bank, however, were largely exported to England, and
thus British consumers developed no awareness of Pomerol or the
quality of its wines. It was not until the 1950s that British
merchants woke up to the wines and began to import them into the UK,
and even then the prices of many of the wines were extremely
favourable, especially compared to the astronomical prices some of
them fetch today. And there is one further difference that marks out
Pomerol; whereas the Médoc and Sauternes, and subsequently Graves and
St Emilion, were all classified - arguably useless classifications
today, but also without doubt useful in publicising the best
properties at the time - Pomerol never underwent this process, and
today it remains the only major appellation of the region to have no
classification.


Pomerol - the Appellation

Although small, with just 784 hectares - or thereabouts - of vines,
the terroir of Pomerol is certainly not homogenous, and is due some
consideration. The vineyards are located to the west of those of St
Emilion, and are closely related to the suburbs of Libourne. They are
delimited north and south by two rivers, the Barbanne and the Taillas,
to the east by the vineyards of St Emilion and the town of Pomerol
itself, and to the west by the D910 as it runs down towards and into
Libourne, with suburban streets including the boulevard de Beauséjour,
avenue Georges-Clemenceau, rue du Docteur-Nard and the avenue de
l'Europe - all easily pinpointed on any decent map - forming the
boundary. Further out in the appellation there is a subtle plateau
which is dominated by gravel with clay, and it is these soil types
that play host to the better vineyards. Inspection of the soils
themselves reveals a considerable variation in gravel density and size
of stone, even when comparing one vineyard to the next, although this
isn't a feature unique to Pomerol by any means. A more significant
change comes as you travel west through the appellation, when the
soils become more sandy, and the quality of the wines may not be as
high with this terroir. In addition, the clay subsoil here - known as
crasse de fer - is particularly iron rich, and portions of it extend
across the appellation. The Petrus vineyards are marked by it, as are
those of Taillefer, the name of which translates literally as to cut
iron.

Like St Emilion, the clay soils here favour the Merlot grape which
dominates the appellation, accounting for 80% of all the vines
planted. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc trail in at the rear,
although a few estates are notable for have significant plantings of
these two varieties, sometimes accounting for more than half of the
individual vineyard. Vieux Chateau Certan is a case in point, although
Merlot still dominates slightly here, accounting for 60% of all the
vines, with 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The
absolute predominance of Merlot in the appellation as a whole,
however, may mean in some vintages the majority of the harvest can be
lost. Merlot flowers earlier than the two Cabernets and thus it is
more vulnerable to spring frosts and reduced or irregular flowering
and fruit set.


The Unclassified
Notable Properties

Ch. Beauregard
Ch. Le Bon-Pasteur
Ch. Certan de May
Ch. Clinet
Ch. La Conseillante
Ch. La Croix de Gay
Clos L'Église
Dom. de L'Église
Ch. L'Église-Clinet
Ch. L'Enclos
Ch. L'Évangile
Ch. Feytit-Clinet
Ch. Gazin
Ch. Le Gay
Ch. La Grave à Pomerol
Ch. Hosanna (Certan-Giraud)
Ch. Lafleur
Ch. La Fleur-Pétrus
Ch. Latour à Pomerol
Ch. Mazeyres
Ch. Nenin
Ch. Petit Village
Petrus
Le Pin
Ch. La Pointe
Ch. La Providence
Ch. Taillefer
Ch. Trotanoy
Vieux Ch. Certan


Although I have been content to criticise those that put too much
stock in Bordeaux classifications, which are either outdated or
rendered meaningless by internal political wrangling, one function
that they do serve is to provide a loose framework for the discussion
of the wines. Without one, though, I will resist the vaguely
ridiculous notion that I should invent a classification of my own, and
simply deal with the properties according to my experience of them.
Perhaps one that I know best is Vieux Chateau Certan, as I have tasted
a number of maturing vintages and have even been taken to adding a few
vintages to the cellar, especially the highly successful 2004. Even
weaker vintages, such as the 1993, were impressive. There are many
other estates producing wines of similar quality, or indeed higher
quality, where I have tasted a few vintages, most notably Petrus,
Trotanoy, Le Pin, Gazin, La Conseillante, Clinet and more. The first
two of these are wines of the Moueix stable. Petrus moved from the
ownership of Mme Lacoste-Loubat to being jointly run with the help of
Jean-Pierre Moueix, and today it is under the sole control of Jean-
Pierre's son, Christian; the once relatively inexpensive wines are
today some of the most expensive in Bordeaux. And they are also some
of the best. This latter characteristic is also true of Trotanoy,
which has turned in a stupendous performance in some vintages, and my
experience of both mature vintages, namely the fabulous 1961, and a
much more recent year such as 2007 shows that the quality of this
vineyard can shine through in both excellent and poor vintages. As for
Le Pin, this is a much more recent story; the proprietor here is the
aforementioned Jacques Thienpont of Belgium, and when entertaining
visiting journalists during the primeurs he serves the wines with
assistance from his son, the youthful but trilingual Freddy. The story
here perhaps encapsulates so much of Pomerol; an unremarkable vineyard
which has been moulded into one of worldwide repute, and the prices
have risen dramatically as a result; one bottle will cost you more
than a case (or indeed several cases) of many comparable wines. And
the estate is graced not by any grand chateau, but by a tumbledown
farmhouse with cracked and patchy rendering, and a patch of mud for a
garden. The wines, however, can be fabulous. Yes, to me it seems that
Le Pin is Pomerol - albeit a Pomerol on steroids - in a nutshell.


- Wine Doctor.