Chateau Beauregard Pomerol 2009

Description

Chateau Beauregard is one of the few places in Pomerol to have an actual Chateau on the site. The vineyard is 17.5 hectare divided into 34 parcels. Currently, they have 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. But their goal is to reach 40% Cabernet Franc. They are fully organic in the vineyards although don’t seem to be certified. The wine ages for 18-24 months in French oak, 65% are new barrels. There are three wines made here. Chateau Beauregard, Le Benjamin de Beauregard are both from the Pomerol site. Pavillon Beauregard comes from 12 hectares of vines planted in the Lalande de Pomerol.

“Easy to drink, forward, medium bodied and built to consumed in its first decade of life, (give or take,) the wine offers licorice, earth, black raspberry and coffee bean characteristics. This was produced from a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.” 87 points Wine Cellar Insider 

Bordeaux

Situated near the Atlantic coast of France. The Gironde, Dordogne and Garonne rivers provide its shape. Cool conditions and frequent rainfall, including during harvest time, make Bordeaux quite a marginal region with vintages frequently ruined by rain or saved from the rain at the last-minute by timely sunshine.

Pomerol 

Merlot dominates here ably supported by Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon a distant (and sometimes non-existent) third. There is only 800 hectare of vines and almost 150 producers and Pomerol is the only major appellation of Bordeaux to eschew a ranking system.  The quality at the top level is arguably better than any other Bordeaux but it can vary.

Cabernet Franc

Is actually one of the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon… along with Sauvignon Blanc (oh! The name makes sense now!).  It is most famous for being the third most important grape in quality Bordeaux. But also excels in the Loire Valley (where it lived before it went to Bordeaux), especially Chinon and Saumur. The wines are bright red in colour, highly aromatic with raspberries, rose petals, violets along with tobacco, cassis and some herbal elements. The best examples can live as long as any great wine.

Merlot

It gets a tough time most of the places it grows. But in Pomerol and Saint-Emilion Merlot not only dominates but makes some of the best wines in the world. Perfume, silky and plush. Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon season the wines with structure and acid but in some places, like Petrus, they are almost not needed.

2009

Having tasted a few vintages of Bordeaux in my time I have no doubt that this will be one of the best in the modern era. I feel that 2010 is on a par for different reasons and 2005 exceeds them both, but it is a small margin.