Winemaker Notes
Best served with grilled meats and ripe, soft cheeses.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Wonderful charming nose with wild strawberries, milk chocolate and raspberries. Opens up with eucalyptus and licorice. So soft and velvety on the palate with a beautiful finesse-driven texture. Full and with silky tannins. Long and very enjoyable. Drink from 2016.
-
Wine Spectator
Broad and creamy, with plum, boysenberry and blackberry fruit carried by seamless, polished structure. Despite the lush flavors, this is serious a wine, boasting a strong graphite spine that strides through the finish and lovely flecks of anise and black tea hanging in the background for added range. Should age well. Best from 2015 through 2030.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the more impressive examples from this estate (normally a light, fruity but seductive styled wine), the 2010 possesses more weight and richness while not losing any of its seductive powers. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by copious notes of kirsch, raspberries and loamy soil undertones. Medium to full-bodied, pure, soft and opulent, this impressive Pomerol will drink well young and last for a decade.
Barrel Sample: 90-92 Points
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A source of exceptionally sensual and glamorous red wines, Pomerol is actually a rather small appellation in an unassuming countryside. It sits on a plateau immediately northeast of the city of Libourne on the right bank of the Dordogne River. Pomerol and St-Émilion are the stars of what is referred to as Right Bank Bordeaux: Merlot-dominant red blends completed by various amounts of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. While Pomerol has no official classification system, its best wines are some of the world’s most sought after.
Historically Pomerol attached itself to the larger and more picturesque neighboring region of St-Émilion until the late 1800s when discerning French consumers began to recognize the quality and distinction of Pomerol on its own. Its popularity spread to northern Europe in the early 1900s.
After some notable vintages of the 1940s, the Pomerol producer, Petrus, began to achieve great international attention and brought widespread recognition to the appellation. Its subsequent distribution by the successful Libourne merchant, Jean-Pierre Mouiex, magnified Pomerol's fame after the Second World War.
Perfect for Merlot, the soils of Pomerol—clay on top of well-drained subsoil—help to create wines capable of displaying an unprecedented concentration of color and flavor.
The best Pomerol wines will be intensely hued, with qualities of fresh wild berries, dried fig or concentrated black plum preserves. Aromas may be of forest floor, sifted cocoa powder, anise, exotic spice or toasted sugar and will have a silky, smooth but intense texture.