There is a real sense of vibrancy around Bordeaux’s Right Bank to excite collectors at all levels, propelled by vineyard investment, a run of good vintages and demand for some top-tier labels on the market.
This report focuses on St-Emilion and Pomerol reds, drawing on previous exclusive reporting for Decanter Premium subscribers to highlight recent developments and offer an introductory guide to the region’s position on the fine wine market.
Market Fundamentals
POMEROL AND ST-EMILION NAMES TO KNOW AND WATCH
Pomerol’s lack of formal classification system and relatively small size hasn’t exactly held it back.
Petrus and Le Pin make world-beating 100% Merlot wines from vineyards of 11.5 hectares (ha) and 2.7ha respectively. It’s no surprise the releases tend to be allocation-only.
Le Pin produces around 300 to 500 cases per year, owner Jacques Thienpont told Decanter. For context, First Growth Lafite Rothschild states annual average production of 16,000 cases.
Lafleur is another vaunted Pomerol name, deftly creating Merlot-Cabernet Franc blends from its 4.58ha vineyard.
According to Wine-Searcher, the 10 most searched-for Pomerol wines in May 2022 were:
L’Eglise Clinet deserves special mention here, with many critics having lauded the work of the late Denis Durantou, who passed away in 2020. His impressive legacy continues with the next generation via his daughters Noëmie and Constance.
For St-Emilion, which spans an area under vine roughly seven times larger than Pomerol, the Wine-Searcher top 10 looks like this:
This list naturally only scratches the surface. St-Emilion’s 2012 Classification included 64 estates with Grand Cru Classé status and 18 Premiers Grands Crus Classés.
Unlike the largely static 1855 ranking on the Left Bank, St-Emilion’s 1950s-era Classification is renewed every 10 years. Angélus and Pavie were promoted in 2012 to join the traditional elite of Cheval Blanc and Ausone with Premier Grand Cru Classé ‘A’ status.
Things will change for the 2022 ranking, however, after all ‘A’ estates except Pavie removed themselves from the process – citing various issues.
Most merchants think market demand for
