Evolving wine preferences or how I “came back” to Bordeaux

WINE TALK
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Long rambling post warning!

I have observed that in the last 2 years that I am drinking more red Bordeaux and also enjoying it a lot more as well. The TL/DR version is that it is mostly (well ok basically entirely) due to Pomerol and Ch. Magdelaine.

Back in the 1980s when I started buying wine for cellaring, I was in Australia and was buying pretty much nothing but Aussie reds. A few years later we were living in London and got exposed to French wine but particularly red Bordeaux and Sauternes. The move from Aussies to Bdx seemed like a natural transition for me.

I immediately gravitated to the Left Bank and to St Julien, Paulliac and St Estephe. I mostly ignored the Right Bank, in hind sight this was due to ignorance, prejudice and price. The Right Bank and especially the Pomerols were much more expensive than my beloved Ch. Leoville Barton and the other regulars (Calon Segur, Pontet Canet, GPL, Leoville Poyferre). Back then somehow I just “knew” that the Cab Sav based Left Bank wines were more noble and more serious than the Merlot dominant RB - pure prejudice and ignorance!

After this early Bdx phase I then moved in a BIG WAY into Burgundy, Nth Rhone, Sth Rhone, Piedmont, Tuscany, German Rieslings amongst others. I moved away from Bdx as it was no longer exciting to me. The wines were very good, well made but a bit predictable and if anything too consistent. I love red Burgundy and it is the largest holding in my cellar.

I had been an avid EP buyer for years but the 2009 and 2010 EP campaigns were (for me anyway) so overpriced that I swore I was done buying Bdx. I stopped buying Bdx entirely at this time and also had way more than I ever would need anyway.

But then something changed.

Thirty years after I started buying Bdx and ten years after I fell out of love with the region, I “discovered” I just adore aged Pomerol. Jeez Louise talk about a slow learner. It was also a 1998 horizontal of top Pomerol chateau some years ago that blew me away. The wines were fantastic and almost all were young and had plenty of room to grow. So now it is back-fill time for Pomerol. I think of Pomerol as the closest thing to Burgundy in Bordeaux. There are similarities; small estates, mostly family run business, still mostly traditional wine making practices, emphasis on fruit expression. I am not trying to overplay the comparison but Pomerol resonates with me in a way similar to Burgundy

Then about 4 years ago based entirely on the promptings on this board I dove into Ch. Magdelaine. Turns out that Ch. Magdelaine is one of my true wine loves I had never met or known. I am buying Magdelaine where ever I can find it and trying to build a decently sized position. For example I recently bought a bottle of the 1998 from a shop in Milan that I will hand carry around Italy then bring back to New Zealand. It is fair to say I am now officially obsessed with Magdelaine

I still enjoy my Leoville Bartons and others, but they do not excite me the way that VCC or Trotanoy or even Gazin does let along the transcendent Magdelaine.

I would never ever have predicted that after completely swearing off Bdx purchases, they were my largest buys of the last 2 years

I am glad to have finally figured out the joys of Pomerol even it it 20+ years late.

cheers and thanks for reading

Brodie

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Welcome back, friend. It’s like you never left!

Bordeaux has been my prime thread for all of my wine existence, but will admit like you, I was way too slow to come around to Pomerol. And now I am infatuated with it.

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So glad to see Gazin mentioned. I will admit that I’m probably biased based on a visit that I had to their property. I went with a guide that was taking us around BDX for about a week and turns out he knows the owner Nicolas fairly well, and he was there to meet our group, show us around, answer questions, open some bottles. My favorite little anecdote is when Nicolas told us that his father sold some of their vines in the 1970s (I believe) to their neighbor Petrus and his father liked to remark “that’s when Petrus’ quality really took off”. It was a fantastic visit and now Gazin is my go-to “value” Pomerol for sure. I hope others will give them a try.

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Likewise, I have always had a soft spot for Gazin. Has generally been a more
Muscular style of Pomerol, occassionally a bit rustic, which I like. Newer vintages are showing the warming climates, but I’m still buying the years like 2016 and 2014.

Had a 1955 magnum at Bern’s a year or so ago with some Berserkers, and recall the Somm mentioning that this bottling included vineyards later sold to Petrus. Was an excellent wine.

IMG_2005
IMG_20051170×1610 1.57 MB

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That looks like the Andre Tchelistcheff Room! Very fond memories of that room and some amazing wines and great times.

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I spy Charlie in the background and me judiciously cropped out. Ironically, it was the old Bordeaux on the Bern’s list (which I regrettably ignored for a long time while the Burgundies were still abundant) that got me back to Bordeaux after a long time out of it. It helped that they backed off their greed pricing. But that’s the thing about Bordeaux - no matter what happens, they never have to do more than twist a few dials and they’re back in the game.

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I think this begs the question as to whether you’ll return to your first love.

For me, that would be a middling Rioja Reserva… so, I hope the answer is NO!

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Oh, that’s so funny Keith, I did not notice Charlie’s head back there, lol. @Charlie_Carnes . That really was a spectacular evening, and I’m not just talking about the wines. What a great group that night.

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Nice post. My wine journey has been somewhat similar. Early focus on NZ/Australian wines and then a complete immersion in Bordeaux when living in London that has remained to this day. I have yet to try Magdelaine unfortunately. Buying “well priced” Bordeaux in NZ is not easy which doesn’t help. Your post is a good reminder for me to try some more Pomerol though. Cheers.

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Thread drift: For all you BDX heads, how would you characterize “classic” Pomerol? I understand there are of course producer and vintage variation, but even so, we talk about the floral notes in Margaux, pencil lead in Pauillac, minerality in Graves. What comes to kind for Pomerol?

Thanks!
Noah

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What are your other Pomerol recs among wines that are still a going concern? Particularly ones that aren’t hundreds of dollars a bottle.

Thanks

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Here a few that are solid and reliable and reasonably priced.

Bourgneuf, Rouget, La Pointe, Clos Rene, Nenin, Petit Village, Lagrange

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There is Pomerol and then there is Pomerol (the plateau). The character of the real deal is the silky, refined texture, closer to Burgundy than the left bank (only Lafite matches it) and the black truffle, bitter chocolate, and other deep, dark non-fruit elements that come out with age.

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That, sir, is the $64,000 question! The conundrum.

Chateau Gavin.

Just bought some 2019 Bourgneuf for $70. Always a fan of this Chateau, but it has picked up a wee bit of gloss recently, but not in a bad way. Not Pomerol, but it is massale selections of and made by Lafleur, Les Perrieres.

La Gravette de Certan is nice as well.

Truthfully, most of the time I just suck it up and get what I really want and they become special purpose wines - Trotanoy, VCC, L’Eglise Clinet. One could say that I am lucky to prefer the red-headed step-child vintages, which tend to be cheaper. Think 2004, 08, 11, 14, 17.

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A few names that have not been mentioned might include Bon Pasteur, La Grave a Pomerol, Croix de Gay…but from my perspective almost any wine from the AOC should be investigated if its below whatever one’s personal dollar pain threshold might be. It’s unusual to find badly made or jacked out wines here. The producers are able to sell whatever they make, so they don’t have to resort to techniques that other regions might need.

I find the real issue is actually finding them on the shelf anymore. Over the last 30 years I’ve observed that they are just much less available at retail and one has to make special efforts - specialty vendors or mail order - to find even the ‘regular’ ones i.e. ex Petrus, Le Pin etc.

Tonight we’re having the 2005 Certan Marzelle, which I’m looking forward to, as I don’t think I’ve had it before. This bottling is now defunct - it has quite the tortured ownership/production history - so it will be a last kiss goodnight.

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