Over the past year we have returned again and again to the theme of Bordeaux’s great wines, which today have unjustly lost some of their status as the planet’s most extraordinary wines. There are many reasons for this, but no point in debating them here – and none of them have anything to do with the wines themselves.
Vertical tastings of Petrus, Lafleur and Le Pin have convinced me that these are wines that leave an incredible impression through their architectural expression and varietal clarity. They are terroir wines pushed to the absolute limit, and I very much wanted to see how they perform within a single outstanding Pomerol vintage, and in comparison with other top examples from this tiny appellation.
The Pomerol AOC covers only around 850 hectares, which is nothing compared to other Bordeaux sub‑regions. In essence, this is micro‑winemaking within a huge region, and for me there is at least as much doubling‑up (in character and style) in these wines as there is in Burgundy.
All the wines were deliberately tasted blind, in two flights of three samples each. First we tasted, discussed and took notes; only then were the bottles revealed.
In the first flight – Trotanoy, Le Pin and Petrus – I identified the first two correctly, and mistook Petrus for L’Eglise‑Clinet. In the second flight I confused Lafleur with La Conseillante, while L’Eglise‑Clinet was nailed straight away.
For me, Le Pin 2005 was the wine of the evening. I still cannot quite understand how Jacques Thienpont achieves it, but the style is unmistakable even blind. Perhaps that in itself is the greatness of this wine. On the nose it shows maximum concentration and expressiveness, yet with flawless balance.
Trotanoy 2005 is archetypal Pomerol classicism. Blind, it can be described in terms of ripe black berries, mycelium, black truffles and resin. It impresses with its complexity, but against Le Pin and L’Eglise‑Clinet it looks solid yet comparatively straightforward.
I tasted Petrus 2005 for the second time. Blind, it is a monumental, impeccably tailored wine – I would even say, without alternative. In our case, however, it simply needed more time; two hours did little to unlock its full potential. Only in the glass did it ultimately show everything one could hope for.
La Conseillante 2005 marks the beginning of the estate’s current level. Today, its wines are the quintessence of ripe black berries, lavender, resin and leather; the 2005, by contrast, revealed incredible finesse and elegance, comparable to Lafleur.
Lafleur 2005 – and indeed the wines of this estate in general – never feel entirely “Pomerol” to me. In terms of finesse, precision and balance, this wine is far closer to Burgundy than almost anything else. A beautiful example.
L’Eglise‑Clinet 2005 is pure pleasure from start to finish. It is a modern wine in the sense that it was well ahead of its time: ripe, concentrated, massively powerful on the palate, yet absolutely seamless and perfectly constructed. Today, Denis Durantou’s work is continued by his daughters, and I have no doubt that the estate will reach yet another level.
Text and photo by Greg Somm
