2020 Les Cruzelles, Lalande de Pomerol
Up until 2019 the late great Denis Durantou was the winemaker here. Denis took over his family property Eglise Clinet in the early 1980s and turned it into one of Pomerol’s superstars before turning his hand to making wines in the surrounding appellations. These are now some of the best value wines in all of Bordeaux with incredibly consistent quality, plush ripe fruit and very smooth tannins.
Les Cruzelles is just a stone's throw away from Eglise Clinet in Lalande de Pomerol with the same gravel-clay soils that you find on the Pomerol plateau. An excellent wine, as good as many Pomerols but at a fraction of the cost.
"The 2020 Les Cruzelles is a serious, potent Lalande de Pomerol that is going to need a few years to soften. I wouldn't think of touching a bottle any time soon. Firm yet well-balanced tannins lend energy and drive. Black cherry, graphite, sage, mint, tobacco and incense add to an impression of virile intensity that gains vigour over time. This is such a gorgeous and inviting wine. Drink 2026-2040." Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com