Posted on May 1, 2016
Seduction or power from Pomerol #bdx15 barrel samples: you pays your money, you takes your choice
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
1 May 2016
Readers take note: Revised note for La Cabanne based on new sample
The appellation as a whole is successful in 2015. Indeed, many writers have propelled Pomerol to the top of the vintage pedestal. It’s in that vicinity at least, with plenty of superb samples, from moderately-priced estates (for Pomerol, that is) to the most famous. And that’s saying a lot for the smallest of Bordeaux’s major fine wine regions, spanning only three kilometers wide by 4 kilometers long.
Fellow taster Ella Lister has the right look on her face. VCC was so good that maybe I was just perplexed about it.
But I found something rather interesting about this vintage. First off, alcohol levels were quite high for many Pomerols, as were the tannins. The best estates balanced everything very well. But readers who prefer freshness and elegance should know that Pomerol is not as homogenous as some say, at least in terms of style. Indeed, I found generally speaking two distinct styles. On the one hand, I found barrel samples that indeed harkened back to a combination of the 1985 and 2005 “5” vintages, as mentioned in my introduction to the 2015 barrel samples. On the other hand, very high tannins and alcohol levels encountered especially in many estates of Jean Pierre Moueix reminded me, too, of a modern version of 1975. Christian Moueix said that IPT levels reached 90 for some and alcohol up to about 14.5%. Many came across as “serious” samples, stressing power over sensuality. My most enthusiastic reactions in Pomerol are thus elicited by barrel samples stressing both seductive and bright tones, and underlying structure. Read More
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