Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/935769
84 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 { bordeaux } Mining for Gems in the Right Bank TASTING THROUGH THE WINES OF POMEROL AND FRONSAC story and photos by Panos Kakaviatos THE POMEROL APPELLATION next to Saint-Émilion produces some of Bordeaux's greatest Merlot-driven wines. Pétrus is the most famous, but brands like Lafleur, Vieux Château Certan, L'Évangile, Trotanoy, and Le Pin, among others, repre - sent the cream of the crop of some 150 estates packed into an area roughly three kilometers wide by four long. One such top estate, Château La Con- seillante, hosted a 20-vintage tasting late last year that showed how "fine, sensual, and seductive" Pomerol wine is, to quote Estate Manager Marielle Cazaux. The 1995–2015 tasting also yielded surprises that would interest sommeliers with ac - cess to these vintages. The best for current drinking? The famous 1998, which has a floral nose that precedes a gorgeous palate of elegance and power contradicting its age. "People in the industry always want this wine after trying it," said Cazaux. The 2001, mean - while, exudes succulent truffle notes but doesn't match the finish of the 1998. Don't open any 2000s yet: Though the vintage already displays Pauillac-like grip, it should be splendid in five years. The tasty 1995— evolved and tertiary with champignon and leafy earth—would best be enjoyed now, whereas the underrated 1997 displays greater freshness and smoother tannins. The 2005 beguiles with refined opu - lence and power, silky tannins, and distinct truffle and floral notes, but the two most recently bottled vintages, 2014 and 2015, are particularly stunning: The former exudes fresh, ripe red and black fruit with mint and tannic grip, while the latter is riper, deeper, and denser. Pomerol Shows Team Spirit Not all Pomerol is equal. Even in such a small area, terroir varies, as do blends that may include majority Cabernet Franc as well as some Cabernet Sauvignon. But Cazaux stresses that Pomerol's microclimate is com - mon to all. "We know that streams flowing in certain directions cause lower rainfall than in nearby Saint-Émilion," she explained. Another notable trait of Pomerol is its team spirit, enabled not only by the small size of the appellation but also by its lack of formal ranking. Saint-Émilion revisits its official ranking every ten years, making it more susceptible to fads, competition, and lawsuits, while Pomerol enjoys greater cohesion. In their mutual goal of pursuing cleaner and more-precise winemaking, estates in both regions often share information on the latest vat-room and vineyard tech - Château La Conseillante Estate Manager Marielle Cazaux with bottles of her Pomerol- based Bordeaux.