Chateau Les Vieux Ormes, 2006, Lalande-de-Pomerol

Lalande-de-Pomerol is a small region just to the north of the more well-known Pomerol, famous as the home of the world's most expensive wine, Le Pin.

Lalande-de-Pomerol is said to produce at least some wines with a distinct resemblance to those of Pomerol - however, lacking any familiarity with Pomerol wines, it's hard to know what that resemblance might be or establish whether it is indeed there or not.

So this bottle has to be judged on its own merits alone, and not in relation to any other, more famous neighbours. That said, it is made by winemaker J. Paul Garde of Domaine du Grand Ormeau (but does not appear on the domaine's website - perhaps it was a limited run of lesser grapes).

At five years old, instinct tells me this wine may be a little young to be showing its best, but we decide to try it anyway - there's always the decanter to help open things up if need be.

There is not so much on the nose, but the palate shows lots of ripe blackcurrant, bramble fruit and some spice; the texture is soft with good length. Overall, it is impressive in an enjoyable and well-made way, rather than being overly chewy or densely structured, as I had expected, or overly complex.

It has a Decanter Bronze, which feels about right.

 There is no indication of the grape varieties, but being from a right-bank AOC, it is likely to be mainly Merlot.

Price unknown, as it was a gift, but available from Freixenet (DWS) Ltd, Berkshire.

Freixenet (DWS) Ltd
Unit 23 / Wellington Business Park
Dukes Ride
Crowthorne
Berkshire RG45 6LS
01344 758500

Links

Domaine du Grand Ormeau - http://www.domaine-grand-ormeau.com/
Château Les Vieux Ormes on Decanter - http://www.decanter.com/dwwa/2009/dwwa_search.php?rsearch=FRX