Imagine a wine region so small you can run laps around it, then stop for a bottle of one of the most expensive and revered wines that can sell for over $30,000 a bottle. That region would be Pomerol in the “Right Bank” Bordeaux region, and if you like wines that are rich, velvety and full bodied, then keep reading because I’m going to reveal two amazing wines most people will never know about.
Pomerol is located just northwest of the famous St. Emilion region, yet it has a separate AOC status because the wines from this tiny region are separate and distinct in character from St. Emilion, even though they use the same grape blend, Merlot and Cab Franc.
Pomerol is a contradiction because while it is small the wines are big- full bodied, rich, even sexy and hedonistic. Some of the most expensive wines in the world come from Pomerol, yet you won’t find fancy Chateaus or castles here, just non descript farmhouses that produce some of the greatest wines ever made.
Perhaps the smart winemakers reside in Pomerol, charging huge prices for their wines, and banking the money instead of buying castles. While Petrus is the most well known (the 2010 is currently going for about $5,700 a bottle), other Chateaus like Trotanoy, Le Pin, and Viex Chateau Certan also make stellar wines. The 2010 Le Pin is going for $5700 a bottle as well.
While the best Pomerols can age as long as you want them to, they drink well young, within 5 to 7 years of release, and they feature the fruit- black plum and black cherry. The tasting note “truffle” tends to define many Pomerol wines, and some chocolate can sneak into the mix as well. Add in some vanilla from aging in French barriques, and you have a winning combination.
Pomerol tends to feature more Merlot than St. Emilion, making the wines lush, plush, and opulent- Pomerols are well known for their mouthfeel, St. Emilion is better known for structure due to the higher percentage of Cab Franc. You get more dark fruit in Pomerol- blackberry, plum, black cherry, and more red fruit in St. Emilion, red plum, cherry, etc.
While you can pay as much as you want for a Pomerol, you can find great value there as well. Chateau Clinet- today’s recommendation- goes for $140 a bottle, and you can get it at almost any Total Wine. I’m drinking the 2016, so it’s had about 9 years of aging. What makes Clinet unique is it is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, a grape you don’t see much of in Pomerol or St Emilion due to the clay soils. Cab Sauv does best in gravel, but you do get some in Chateau Clinet.
Chateau Nenin is also good value at $90 a bottle, a great introduction to Pomerol. It clocks in at 65% Merlot, 35% Cab Franc, so it’s closer to St. Emilion in style.
If you have friends who are California wine drinkers, they will usually love Pomerol since it is rich, opulent and full bodies. Whenever you read a Pomerol review, you will always see terms that refer to the mouthfeel- lush, plush, velvety, polished, silky, soft and rounded. That is the defining characteristic of Pomerol, and every wine lover should have a few bottles in their cellar, even if it’s not Petrus or Le Pin. But if you have a spare bottle, send it to me.
Enjoy!
-John Alanis,
Certified Sommelier
Buy Chateau Clinet From Pomerol in Bodeaux
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