Pomerol is Bordeaux on a Burgundy scale. The small right bank appellation covers less than three square miles, and is home to only 150 winemakers. But the wines of Pomerol are anything but small. In his landmark World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson calls Pomerol “richest, most velvety and instantly appealing form of red Bordeaux.”
Planted in most other locales, Merlot produces soft, flat, undistinguished wines. But in Pomerol, the grape soars, producing some of the worlds most intense and expensive wines. Like Chardonnay and Chablis, Syrah and Côte Rôtie, it’s a persuasive argument for the power of terroir.
This spring we discovered an excellent new source in Pomerol, and one offering surprising value. The 2015 Feytit-Lagrave Pomerol impressed us with its depth and polish. At 80% Merlot (the rest is Cabernet Franc), the wine is very Pomerol: generous, rich, and round, with an attractive mouthfeel. The nose offers ripe dark fruit, cassis and blackberries.
Fans of Pomerol will know how well the wine ages, and in a top vintage (like 2015) this wine will certainly improve for a decade or more. But we found it opens steadily in the glass over an hour, offering earlier drinking than you might expect. Pair it with a roast — duck, beef tenderloin, grilled steaks — something to match the hearty, audacious spirit of Pomerol.
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Feytit-Lagrave Pomerol 2015
bottle price: $55
FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES
