Chateau La Pointe 2010
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Big, firm, with dense tannins that underly the ripe, dark berry and plum skin fruit flavors. Very powerful, the almost shocking acidity a cutting edge of freshness. Hugely juicy aftertaste.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I have always held up the 2010 La Pointe as one of the high points of recent vintages of this Pomerol estate. After five years in bottle, it has retained that quintessential Pomerol bouquet with black fruit laced with truffle and a touch of iron filings. The palate is still quite structured, although the tannins appear to have melted slightly since I last encountered it. It leads to an intense graphite finish that might lead you astray to the Left Bank, and the aftertaste remains long and satisfying. This is just a superb wine from Eric Monnoret that shows no signs of falling short of the promise that is has shown ever since I first tasted it in barrel. Tasted August 2017.
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Wine Spectator
This has power in reserve, but stays remarkably restrained for now, with a torrent of boysenberry, fig and raspberry fruit held in check by charcoal-studded grip and well-embedded acidity. The long, dense smoked apple wood finish should let this cruise nicely in the cellar. Best from 2015 through 2030.
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Decanter
Dense, nicely concentrated, rich red. Nose is unmistakably Pomerol with earthy, slightly iron-rich Merlot fruit lifted with fragrance from Cabernet Franc. Fine natural sweetness on the palate, which is full of energy and already has an attractively smooth texture with tannins firming up the long, satisfying finish.
Other Vintages
2009-
Robert
Parker
With its splendid two hectares of gardens and the magnificent age-old trees, Chateau La Pointe has always been a charming residence. The chateau really sprang into life under the Second Empire. Unfortunately, many details of La Pointe's history are unknown. What we do know is that, thanks to the Directoire style country house, it was one of the fi rst two estates in Pomerol entitled to call themselves a "Chateau" in 1868. The vineyard already stretched over 22 hectares, and it remains one of the largest estates in the appellation to this day.
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.