Château Bourgneuf, Pomerol,

The 2022 Bourgneuf, 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. It shoots out of the glass with vibrant scents of black and red cherries, giving way to hints of violets, cardamom, and clove oil. The full-bodied palate bursts with bright red and black berry flavors, supported by plush tannins and a lively backbone, finishing with lovely purity. This is nicely done!

The 2022 Bourgneuf is a wine that I tasted three times in Bordeaux, and none of them really set my pulse racing. However, a sample tasted after my return to London seems much more promising. The nose here is backward and demands time to open in the glass, almost reluctantly offering blackberries, blueberry and crushed iris flower scents. It is certainly not extravagant. The palate is much more intense and delineated than the samples tasted in Bordeaux, ironically fresher with a slightly granular texture, a silver bead of acidity, commendable sapidity and length. This correlates far more with what I would have expected from a Pomerol that has progressed so much in recent years.