Pomerol wine region
The Pomerol wine region is a little strange. On the one hand, some of the most expensive red wines in the world come from Pomerol and, with Pétrus, a wine that almost everyone has heard of. On the other hand, they are among the high-quality Bordeaux wines that are in comparatively low demand, even at moderate prices. The reason may be that Pomerol does not have a Grand Cru Classé classification.
The Pomerol appellation on the ‘right bank’
The Pomerol wine region is a little strange. On the one hand, some of the most expensive red wines in the world come from Pomerol and, with Pétrus, a wine that almost everyone has heard of. On the other hand, they are among the high-quality Bordeaux wines that are in comparatively low demand, even at moderate prices.
The reason may be that Pomerol does not have a Grand Cru Classé classification.
Pomerol was developed very late. After its Roman origins (the name Pomerol comes from the Latin Pomarium = orchard - including vineyards), wine production lay idle for a long time. Wines from Pomerol have only really been recognised since 1945.
However, Pomerol has one major advantage: a consistently high standard prevails in this small wine region. As in the communal appellations of the Médoc, almost every wine estate can be recommended.
When Pomerol became an independent wine-growing region around 1900, nobody could have guessed that a new star would appear among the wines of the Bordelais with the 1945 vintage: Pétrus. The winery was always inconspicuous. No real château for miles around, the name comes from a small statue of St Peter near the vineyard. The Moueix family had the exclusive marketing rights to the little-known wines. When the wines suddenly became famous and expensive, the Moueix family naturally also benefited and were eventually able to take over Pétrus completely.
Today, the family dynasty owns many important vineyards in Pomerol and neighbouring St. Emilion.
The most valuable soils are to be found on the Pomerol plateau, where the most famous wine estates with just a few hectares of vineyards are also densely packed together. The quality of the wine comes from the sandy-gravel soil with intermediate layers of clay and a sub-layer of ferrous ironstone, known as ‘crasse de fer’ (iron slag) or ‘machefer’.
The main grape variety is Merlot, and the top vineyards produce it almost exclusively. The blend is sometimes supplemented with Cabernet Franc, which is called bouchet here, and Malbec (under the name Noir de Pressac).