Bordeaux 2021 Primeurs: Pomerol
After three instalments focused on St Emilion I come now to 2021 in Pomerol. Like its most famous right-bank partner this is also an appellation with considerable variation in terroir, ranging from the famous blue clay at its very summit, gravels of varying sizes and types, and then lower down the slope – either to the north, closer to the course of the Isle, or west, on the outskirts of Libourne – there are more sandy soils. Elevation, and thus the degree of protection from frost, also varies between these different corners of the appellation.
Despite my modest expectations, however, as I tasted my way around Pomerol I did at time find myself somewhat underwhelmed. While in St Emilion I found a fair number of wines displaying purity and vibrancy, sometimes even texture and depth, such moments of joy seemed to be fewer in this corner of Bordeaux. A couple of estates which are normally reliable stalwarts seemed to have made lighter and rather more understated wines than I had expected to find, even taking into account the difficult character of the vintage. Yes, there were a small handful of noteworthy successes, generally from trustworthy names, but they seemed small in number.
It is difficult to know why this was? Could it be that the gradual shift towards using more Cabernet Franc in St Emilion gave some of its top estates an advantage? After all, this was a vintage in which the Merlots suffered more from frost, poor flowering and mildew than the Cabernets and other later-developing cultivars. There are far fewer estates in Pomerol able to turn towards a Cabernet-dominated blend though; the one or two with more Cabernet did seem to do well, although the evidence is far from conclusive.
