Pomerol

Pomerol: town and landscapes:

The commune of Pomerol borders Saint-Émilion to the west and Fronsac to the east. Its distinctive feature is the absence of a central village, apart from a church. Its scattered settlements are primarily composed of winegrowers' houses. One rarely encounters residences with what is considered opulent architecture. The Pomerol appellationThe appellation, totaling 785 hectares, extends slightly into the commune of Libourne. Pomerol, an exceptional terroir: The geological history of this terroir is intimately linked to that of the Isle River. Over the centuries, it has accumulated gravel and pebbles, arranged in terraces interspersed with thin layers of clay. To these layers is added "iron pan," a type of ferruginous sandstone formed from sands transported by the wind. From these elements arise multiple combinations and just as many wines: • The mixture of deep gravel and varying amounts of clay produces round, silky wines. • Finer gravel mixed with sand and a little clay results in wines that are slower to develop. • In the southern part of the appellation, the gravel contains some limestone and no clay at all. The resulting wines are drier and closer in style to Saint-Émilion. In blind tastings, they are very close to the flagship of the appellation: Château Pétrus. To the west, the soil is siliceous-gravelly with a lot of sand and a high mineral and clay content. The Pomerol wines here are lighter and magnificent to taste from their earliest years. Besides the soil composition, the depth of the water table must be considered: the deeper it is, the more concentrated the aromas. The density of the iron-rich clay also plays a role: the greater it is, the more exceptional the terroir. Thus, the nuances arise from the complexity of the soil. The grape varieties in the Pomerol vineyards are predominantly Merlot, followed by, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Franc (and sometimes Sauvignon Blanc) and Malbec.

Pomerol and its great names:

One of the defining characteristics of Pomerol wine is that it has never been subject to any classification, a situation that guarantees its continued social cohesion. But despite this, one wine is universally recognized as being above the rest: Château Petrus and its famous "clay buttonhole." The eternal pinnacle of the pyramid! But on the slopes of this edifice shine wines that remain among the very greatest. We will cite, as examples of excellence, L'Évangile, Trotanoy, Lafleur, Vieux-Château-Certan, La Conseillante, Petit-Village, Certan de Mays, and Lafleur-Petrus...

Pomerol Bordeaux: a unique signature

In Pomerol wine, we find the Médoc With its finesse and bouquet, the Saint-Émilion with its structure and color, and the Burgundy with its roundness and joviality. It is one of them, but above all, it is itself, sharing with no other its deep, dark taste with hints of truffle, its velvety power. Its quality is quite consistent, even in bad years. These are wines for long aging. One of their most original traits is excellent maturation: after five years, they already reach the perfection of aging. It is therefore advisable to taste the Pomerol red wines between five and twelve years of age, at an ideal temperature of 17°C, in association with rather rich dishes.