Le Bon Pasteur 2007
Deep, bright ruby. Perfumed, floral aromas of cherry liqueur, blueberry, blackcurrant and fine oak. Supple, deep, with good fat- a Parker-styled wine from lush Merlot and fragrant Franc fruit. The palate is fresh, juicy, typical, mineral, dynamic, and intense; the finish is truffle, mocha and undergrowth, chocolate and sweet spice. Quite spicy, with lifted acidity. Lovely gentle extraction; fruit well fixed; bodied; reasonably long. The wine's mid-palate stuffing nicely supports the suave tannins. With an ABV of 13.5%, Le Bon Pasteur 2007 is attractive when young and ageing gracefully. Excellent value.
In a vertical wine tasting on selected vintages from Le Bon Pasteur from 1990 to 2007, we hosted for HKWS 3 years ago, 2007 did not stand out but had been working well enough.
Le Château Bon Pasteur is a 15-hectare property located in the small village of Maillet in Pomerol. When the Rolland family acquired it, this part of the appellation was not one of the most famous ones. It was not until the end of the 1970s, when Michel Rolland arrived at the domain, that this wine gained notoriety. However, even at Bon Pasteur, Michel Rolland completed his winemaking vision. The progress is immediate with a recipe he will apply in the many properties he will advise: grapes harvested very mature, controlled maturing and minimal yields. In 2013, the castle was sold to a Hong Kong consortium. But Michel Rolland continues to follow the vinification closely.
Parker awarded the wine 91 and wrote, 'Tasted blind at the 2007 Bordeaux horizontal in Southwold. An impressive performance from Michel Rolland's Pomerol growth exceeds my expectations from the barrel. It has a very high-toned nose with macerated black cherries, black olive and an estuarine tincture. The palate is quite sweet on the entry, well balanced with supple, fleshy dark red fruits, very harmonious and succinct towards the minerally finish, whilst that nose is beginning to mellow and become more refined. Aeration is certainly benefitting this Pomerol, and it ends up very attractive. Tasted January 2011. (Edited)
