Tasted at JP Moueix. This is a Pomerol chateau that has really upped the ante in the last 2-3 years. This is another superlative wine that ranks alongside its neighbour, Vieux-Chateau-Certan. A beautiful, floral nose wafts from the glass with black cherries, plum and hedgerow. Wonderful definition. The full-bodied palate is powerful like Hosanna but with far more nervosity and minerality. Sinewy, poised and completely harmonious with mouth-coating tannins. Raspberry, blueberry and boysenberry. Great length. Sublime. Tasted April 2007.

This property is finally hitting on full cylinders and has returned to the form it had in the late 1970s and mid-1980s. This is a deep ruby/purple-colored wine with notes of graphite, menthol, licorice, and truffle. The fruit character verges between black cherry and creme de cassis notes. The wine exhibits noble and complex aromatics, moderately high tannins, but a full-bodied, firm, muscular structure that will require some patience. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2028.

Full ruby-red. Deep, brooding aromas of dark fruits and bitter chocolate, with liqueur-like suggestions of plum and raspberry. Fat, thick and layered but not heavy. Densely packed but airy and classically dry, in the way of so many of Michel Rolland's wines. Finishes with a serious tannic spine and excellent length.

Sweet, big and bold and juicy. Quite open and loose compared with some other Pomerols in the Moueix stable. Slightly green tannins on the finish. Lacks a little intensity and nerve. (JR)