Bordeaux en primeur: Pomerol 2016 wines

A long way from being ready to go – I would suggest at least another six years – but it is going to be worth...

An amazing wine packed full of concentrated, well-measured brambly hedgerow fruits, slate and bitter chocolate. It has a complexity at its centre that builds outwards...

I tasted through a blend of five barrels, but they may not be the final ones. There is significant gravel in the Le Pin soils,...

Again a 2016 Pomerol stuffed full of complexity and power, with a full tannic hold and not a trace of dryness but this is chewy...

Bottled in mid-August, this is already taking on the most amazing slow creep of well-defined, crisp violet, cassis, tight black fruits and fig notes; floral...

We are now levitating somewhere above the rest of Denis Durantou's excellent range. Typical of the incredibly deft and precise way of working that is...

This is a wine that makes you want to slow down, take your time and let those flavours envelop you. It's a little subdued right...

For me, this is going to be every bit as great as the 1989, and is a worthy follower to the 2015. It's tight and...

I love the depth and character to the fruits on this wine. Still extremely young, in a closed phase with plenty of tannic grip, but...

The fruit here is more cassis and bilberry than cherry and raspberry. The sheer concentration is beautifully balanced by a seam of freshness that...

A powerful, sexy Pomerol in the glass without a doubt. It has touches of florality that are extremely welcome in the face of the full...

Classic, almost savoury fruits here, among the most left bank in style of all the Pomerols with cassis and black pepper spice. It's a wine...

Another estate within the Moueix portfolio, Hosanna is a tiny Pomerol estate which can often be overlooked. This is a very classy 2016, smooth, refined,...

Huge density and concentration with incredible elegance and life. A really lovely wine, more fruit than flowers, showing great complexity on the finish. It just...

This has the power of Pomerol Merlot combined with an elegant flood of tannins. The stunning purity of Durantou wines is always striking, and they...

This is a plump wine with freshness and clarity of fruit, even on the nose. There are beautiful red fruits, definitely not as upfront as...

Oh this is rather lovely, with bright, zesty red fruits, plums and raspberries. Austere without being drying, this is a balanced wine that has Pomerol...

Intriguingly, part of the Delon (Léoville-Las Cases) empire since 1997. Soils here are deep gravel and sand, with nine hectares on the higher plateau used...

This has astonishing tannic presence for a second wine, and yet the individual strands are so soft and silky. It is more perfumed and softly...

This has more concentration than the 2015, less immediately seductive but the layers are evident, and it's hard to fault the construction. Plush and sexy...

A very silky, sexy take on the vintage, really demonstrating how they are subtly building delivery of power in La Pointe. The tannins are well...

The Vayron family is in charge here, and straight off the nose you know you are in quality wine territory. This is extremely subdued, a...

Excellent quality although displaying power and ageing-ability over the generosity of Pomerol, at least at this point where the Cabernet Franc is still dominant and...

The intensity of this wine, hand in hand with its silkiness, is remarkable. Dense but extremely silky tannins, and tight but juicy berry fruits. 94%...

Fayat combines the freshness of the vintage with beautifully deep, vibrant red fruits. Lovely persistency and elegance, showing restraint despite the 50% new oak. Merlot...