Pomerol AOC

For the commune, see Pomerol.
Château Pétrus from the Pomerol wine region
The Pomerol AOC (#14) within the "Right Bank" wine region of Bordeaux. It is located just north of the city of Liborne south of Lalande-de-Pomerol (#15), northwest of Saint-Émilion (#21) and east of Fronsac (#12). Also pictured in the map is the "Left Bank" wine regions of the Médoc including St-Estèphe (#3), Pauillac (#4), St-Julien (#5) and Margaux (#8).

Pomerol (French pronunciation: [pɔmʁɔl]) is a French wine-growing commune and Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) within the Libournais ("Right Bank") in Bordeaux. The wine produced here is predominately from Merlot with Cabernet Franc playing a supporting role.[1] Unlike most other Bordeaux communes, there is no real village of Pomerol, although there is a church. The houses are set among the vineyards.[2][3]

Largest vineyard in the appellation

The region was recognized as a distinct wine region apart from Saint-Émilion and the greater Libournais region by the French government in 1923 and was granted AOC status in 1936 as part of the first wave of AOC establishments by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO).[1] While it is now one of the most prestigious of the Bordeaux AOCs, this situation is relatively recent, dating to the second half of the twentieth century, which is often given as one of the reasons why Pomerol is not included in any of the Bordeaux classifications.[4][5][6]

Pomerol is the smallest of the major fine wine regions in Bordeaux, covering an area that is roughly 3 by 4 kilometres (1.9 by 2.5 mi) in size. It is roughly one-seventh of the size of its much larger Right Bank neighbor Saint-Émilion AOC and is on par with the smallest Left Bank commune of Saint-Julien AOC in the Médoc. In 1998, there were 784 hectares (1,940 acres) of grape vines planted within the AOC boundaries producing 36,066 hectolitres (952,800 US gallons) or 400,733 cases of wine.[1] In 2003 there were 150 declared producers in Pomerol harvesting 780 hectares (1,900 acres) and producing a year average of 32,250 hectolitres (852,000 US gal) (around 358,333 cases) of wine. Almost all the wine is estate-bottled. Unlike other French wine regions, such as Burgundy and the Rhône Valley, there are no co-operatives currently operating in Pomerol.[3] By 2007, the area planted to grape vine had risen slightly to 800 hectares (2,000 acres).[7] In 2009, there were 140 declared producers in Pomerol, have an average surface area of 6 hectares (15 acres) and the vineyard of the "Pomerol" appellation covers 800 hectares (2,000 acres) for an average production of 35,000 hectolitres (920,000 US gal) per year.[8]

While many Pomerol wines now fetch very high prices at wine auctions and in the private market on a par with the most highly rated classified growths of Bordeaux, there is no official classification of Pomerol wine. However, the region does contain one property widely held to be equivalent to premier cru: Château Pétrus.[2][3]

  1. ^ a b c Clive Coates An Encyclopedia of the Wines and Domaines of France pp. 110–115 University of California Press; First Printing edition (June 2001) ISBN 0520220935
  2. ^ a b Johnson, Hugh (2009). Pocket Wine Book 2010. London: Octopus Publishing Group Ltd. pp. 31, 72 and 106. ISBN 978-1845335298.
  3. ^ a b c Stephen Brooks The Complete Bordeaux pp. 457–461 Mitchell Beazley (November, 2012) ISBN 1845337077
  4. ^ Johnson, Hugh (1994). World Atlas of Wine (4th ed.). London: Octopus Publishing Group Ltd. pp. 102–106. ISBN 1845331656.
  5. ^ Clarke, Oz (2005). Oz Clarke's New Essential Wine Book (3rd ed.). New York: Websters International Publishers and Octopus Publishing Group. pp. 57–59. ISBN 9780743286688.
  6. ^ Rowe, David (1999). Collins Gem Wine Dictionary. Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers. p. 260. ISBN 0004722027.
  7. ^ Oz Clarke Bordeaux pp. 194–205 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (May 2007) ISBN 0151013004
  8. ^ "Décret n° 2011-1613 du 22 novembre 2011 relatif à l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Pomerol » - Légifrance".