St. Pierre Pomerol 2009 - 2010

[Roel]

What a difference. Excellent terroir, just behind the church. Small (2.7ha) property. Traditional winemaking, label, everything. Obvious filtering, no sediment in both années.

Château St. Pierre Pomerol 2009: Pop and pour. Nose simular to the Taillefer. Ripe red fruit. Plum, cranberry, spice, cedar and raspberry. Some wax? On the palate good acidity and gentle tannins, together with ripe cherry and berry, mint, pine and pepper. A notch lactic. Red fruit dominated, elegant wine, but not with the hedonistic Pomerol approach, nor with true complexity. Ripe fruit in a somewhat compact format. Another sip on day 2... More pointy and with some balsamico, leafy and espresso tones somewhat less interesting. Two consistent bottles tasted. Disappointing effort considering nature did it all in '09. 2010 will be tried next. 86 points

Château St. Pierre Pomerol 2010: New chance for a new vintage and yet another 'année sacré'. 14.5% ABV instead of 13.5%, so more muscles? Pop and pour. Boom! Intense, spicy and young lactic nose. Tones of plum, black cherry, mint, lavender. On the palate clean, young and vibrant. 2009 with some extra power. Tannins lifting the wine towards a long finish with some heat and fruit-like acidity. This is much more a baby than the 2009, which seems already there and ready. 2010 needs time. Gonna put these away for 5 years or so. 89+ points