La Petite Eglise (2nd label Eglise Clinet) 2009

The 2009 La Petite Église has a well defined bouquet that offers red and black fruit in equal measure, hints of tar and black truffle developing in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and well judged acidity, quite cohesive with raspberry and crushed strawberry towards the fleshy finish. Enjoy this over the next six to eight years. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting. 2019 - 2030

Medium-bodied, with silky tannins and a fresh finish. There's plenty of sweet fruit in this second wine. 100 percent Merlot.

Very smart and flattering and subtle. Very lively. 100% Merlot. Quite sleek and even a bit skinny. Fresh but far from sumptuous. Dances. Date tasted 29th March 2010. Drink 2015-2023.

Denis Durantou's "second wine" is a serious Pomerol in its own right, but at a fraction of the price of Eglise Clinet. 800 cases produced. Usually the best value wine in Pomerol. The 100% Merlot fruit is mostly harvested from a separate vineyard next to La Grave a Pomerol with a few barrels from Eglise Clinet itself. Smooth, sexy, plump and creamy with ripe red fruit. Milk chocolate and vanilla spice. Lovely.

There is sweetness on the nose with behind it racier, fresher bilberry. Rich ripe black plum gives fleshy weight to the palate balanced by fresh mainly black fruits and underpinned by tannins which provide structure but are not hard or aggressive. Drink 2016-2030.

Fine, fragrant with a lively freshness. Remarkably clean and balanced but without the density of the top wines. Drink 2014-2022.