Pomerol
How to read this
Capitals mark the stressed syllable. The French r comes from the back of the throat. The recording is the reference.
Red only, 813 hectares of gravel over clay on a plateau above Libourne, worked in holdings of about 6 hectares, with no classification and no wish for one.
The place
The rules
Red only, from Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot, at 5,500 vines a hectare, 49 hectoliters with a ceiling of 60, 11% of natural alcohol and no more than 2 g/l of sugar left. The wine is raised until November 1 and released from November 15 of the year after the harvest. The appellation dates from 1936; the cahier des charges, the appellation’s official rulebook, was set by decree on November 22, 2011 and last amended on October 12, 2021.
The names
- Color
- Red
- Communes
Pomerol , part of Libourne, parcels ofLalande-de-Pomerol andSaint-Émilion - Vineyard
- 813 hectares, 138 growers, about 6 hectares each
- Grapes
- Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot
- Density
- 5,500 vines a hectare at least
- Yield
- 49 hectoliters a hectare, ceiling 60
- Alcohol
- 11% natural at least
- Release
- From November 15 of the year after the harvest
- Classified
- No classification
- AOC since
- 1936; cahier of November 22, 2011, amended on October 12, 2021
Sources: FGVB, cahier des charges
The stack
The same land in
It shares named communes with
The appellations of Bordeaux are stacked, not laid side by side. The map draws the whole stack. Open the map
The pyramid of names shows what each step promises: vines a hectare, bottles, ripeness, day of sale, grapes. Climb from here
Classifications that reach this appellation: The Michelin Guide selection.
Terroir
Pick up a stone in
On the plateau the gravel thins. At about 50 cm, on average, it gives way to clay, and in places, in the words of a soil survey published in 1989, brown soils lie “over a compact blue clay.” The age of that clay is argued. The geologists of the Libourne map read it as Oligocene, far older than the gravel; a university study of the Libournais terroirs found it in a channel cut into the high terrace, laid down within the ice ages; 2 soil studies left its origin open.
In summer the clay shrinks and cracks. Fine roots move into the cracks, and when winter swells the clay and the cracks close, those rootlets die, crushed. Each winter, the clay closes like a fist.
- Slope wash and cover9.1%
- River and estuary deposits of today2.1%
- Ice age river terraces: sand, gravel, pebbles62.4%
- Molasses: sands and clays of old rivers and lakes26.4%
Shares of the delimited area, measured on BRGM’s geological map, in families by the age and rock its legend prints, youngest first.
Half its delimited soil lies above 22 m, and 9 tenths lies between 14 and 38 m. 0.6% of it is steeper than 10%.
Measured section
The line runs 7.1 km, from -0 m to 18 m. Inside the delimited area it lies between 9 and 38 m.
Colors: Slope wash and coverRiver and estuary deposits of todayIce age river terraces: sand, gravel, pebblesMolasses: sands and clays of old rivers and lakes
The units, as BRGM prints them
| Code | Name and age, as printed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Slope wash and cover | 9.1% | |
| CFp | Formations superficielles | 2.4% |
| CF | Formations superficielles | 6.7% |
| River and estuary deposits of today | 2.1% | |
| Fy3-z | Alluvions subactuelles à actuelles indiféernéciées (sic), Pré-boréal à actuel | 2.1% |
| Ice age river terraces: sand, gravel, pebbles | 62.4% | |
| Fxb2 | Basses terrasses (RD Garonne) - Terrasse d'Izon (type 6), Saalien - "Riss" | 8.1% |
| Fxb1 | Basses terrasses (RD Garonne) - Terrasse d'Izon (type 6), Saalien - "Riss" | 33.7% |
| Fvb(D) | Hautes terrasses (RD Garonne) - Terrasse de Malleret inf. (type 2) indiférenciée, Ménapien-Bavélien - "Gunz" | 20.4% |
| and 1 more unit under 1% each, 0.2% in all | ||
| Molasses: sands and clays of old rivers and lakes | 26.4% | |
| e7-g1-S | Molasse du Fronsadais sup. à facies sableux dominant, Priabonien sup. à Rupélien basal continental | 24.9% |
| and 3 more units under 1% each, 1.5% in all | ||
Informative figures, computed from INAO’s digitized parcel delimitation of October 12, 2026 and BRGM’s harmonized geological map (BD Charm-50); heights from IGN’s RGE ALTI 5 m. The plans held at the town hall are the legal reference. The delimited area is always somewhat larger than what is planted.
Sources: BRGM, Notice explicative de la feuille Libourne à 1/50 000, 1995; Mérouge, Arrouays, Seguin, Soils and water uptake by vines in
Its soil, layer by layer · See it in 3D · See it on the Map · Compare it with another appellation · All about Terroir
Châteaux on this site
Château Beauregard Château Bonalgue Château Bourgneuf Château Certan de May Château Certan-Giraud Château Clinet Château de Sales Château de Valois Château Feytit-Clinet Château Gazin Château Hosanna Château L’Enclos Château L’Évangile Château La Cabanne Château La Conseillante Château La Croix de Gay Château La Croix du Casse Château La Fleur de Gay Château La Fleur-Pétrus Château La Grave Château La Pointe Château La Rose Figeac Château La Violette Château Lafleur Château Lafleur du Roy Château Lafleur-Gazin Château Lagrange Château Latour à Pomerol Château Le Bon Pasteur Château Le Chemin Château Le Gay Château Le Moulin Château Le Pin Château Mazeyres Château Montviel Château Moulinet Château Nénin Château Petit-Village Château Plince Château Rouget Château Taillefer Château Trotanoy Château Vieux Maillet Château Vray Croix de Gay Clos du Clocher Clos l’Église Enclos Tourmaline Petrus Vieux Château Certan
Also in this appellation, with no page here yet:
Tastings
32
News from Pomerol
21
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Michelin's Selected Bordeaux Winegrowers Enter the Spotlight
According to Reporter Gourmet, the Michelin Guide highlighted 10 Bordeaux winegrowers at major estates across the region, including Marielle Cazaux at
Château La Conseillante inPomerol and Mathieu Bessonnet atChâteau Pontet-Canet .The framing puts individual growers and generational contrast ahead of château hierarchy, offering another route into Bordeaux for international readers.
-
Generali France acquires Château Gombaude-Guillot
Generali France acquired Château Gombaude-Guillot in
Pomerol from the Techer family, adding the estate to its Bordeaux portfolio alongsideChâteau La Pointe and Château Croque Michotte, according to Terre de Vins.The insurer already owns
Château La Pointe inPomerol and Château Croque Michotte inSaint-Émilion . The purchase adds another significant estate transaction to Bordeaux’s current period of financial strain. -
Bordeaux vineyard: vines lack nitrogen and iron
Bordeaux vineyards are seeing declining nitrogen and iron reserves, while average yields across the region’s appellations remain below 40 hectoliters per hectare, according to bougerabordeaux.com. In
Pomerol , the average is barely 30 hectoliters per hectare. -
Extreme heat rekindles debate over irrigation in Bordeaux
Temperatures near 40°C in Bordeaux have revived the debate over irrigation, while Lafleur has begun irrigating its vines after leaving the
Pomerol AOC and Bordeaux appellations from the 2025 harvest. Local appellations have not authorized irrigation for the 2026 vintage. -
Château Moncets : the place to escape and discover Bordeaux’s historic terroirsChâteau Moncets inLalande-de-Pomerol opens as a wine tourism destination near Bordeaux: a historic setting, a conversion to organic farming, andPomerol andSaint-Émilion close by. -
Château Lafleur began irrigating its vines in early June atPomerol before any official authorization, as a Bordeaux heatwave pushed temperatures near 104°F, according to Vinetur. -
Panel tasting results: Superb St-Emilion &
Pomerol from 2020Decanter reports panel tasting results for 147 wines from Saint-Emilion and
Pomerol from the 2020 vintage. The tasting found 3 Exceptional, 32 Outstanding and 98 Highly Recommended wines. -
From the Alps to Bordeaux: unmissable routes for the collector on the road
According to AostaSera, Bordeaux is a major destination for luxury wine tourism and international collectors, with appellations including
Médoc ,Saint-Émilion ,Pomerol andGraves . -
Austria's magazine for wine culture:
Château Lafleur 2025 for the first time as "Vin de France"Château Lafleur released its 2025 vintage as Vin de France for the first time, rather than under AOCPomerol , according to Vinaria.at. -
Lafleur released as Vin de France for the first time
Lafleur has been released en primeur as Vin de France for the first time with the 2025 vintage, priced at €840 including tax, after the Guinaudeau family stopped claiming the
Pomerol appellation to address climate change. -
Lafleur debuts outside the
Pomerol appellation with the 2025 vintageAccording to Revista ADEGA, Lafleur presented its 2025 vintage as its first wine to be marketed under the Vin de France classification after leaving the
Pomerol and Bordeaux appellations. -
Bordeaux 2025 releases: Lafleur 2025 debuts as ‘Vin de France’
Château Lafleur entered the Bordeaux 2025 en primeur campaign as Vin de France, its first vintage under that label after leaving thePomerol appellation. Decanter rated the wine 97 points. -
Bordeaux 2025 en primeur:
Pomerol ‘rain came just in time’At Bordeaux 2025 en primeur tastings in
Pomerol , rain came just in time after difficult weather conditions, according to thedrinksbusiness.com. -
Bordeaux 2025 en primeur: Everything you need to know with Decanter's expert insights
Decanter will release hundreds of exclusive tasting notes on Bordeaux 2025 wines on May 1, alongside analysis of the promising vintage and difficult market conditions. Top châteaux from
Pauillac toPomerol are preparing en primeur offers. -
Bordeaux wines: we followed an English "VIP" in
Pomerol during the en primeur campaignEnglish wine journalist Simon Field is followed through his tastings in
Pomerol during the 2025 en primeur campaign. -
The Master Blender Who Turned Bordeaux into a Global Sensation Leaves the Wine World Forever Changed
According to Wine Enthusiast, Michel Rolland, the Bordeaux-based enologist, has died. His blending style helped define modern red Bordeaux and influence wine worldwide, with
Pomerol as his base. -
Terre de Vins reassessed the deliverable 2023 wines from
Pomerol andLalande-de-Pomerol after 2 years of élevage, saying promising potential identified in spring 2024 was often confirmed. The selection includes successes that are more accessible than those from the acclaimed 2022 vintage. -
Châteaux Fonroque and Mazeyres: a new organization for the Guillard family
The Guillard family has announced a new organization for
Château Fonroque (Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé) andChâteau Mazeyres (Pomerol ) to support long-term development. Judith Barat is appointed to lead both properties, while the technical teams remain in place with Alain Moueix continuing as consultant. -
Château Gazin 2019 isPomerol ’s wine of the weekChâteau Gazin 2019 isPomerol ’s wine of the week, with aromas of plum, cassis, truffles and cedar, a silky texture, mature tannins and a structure indicating long aging potential. -
Hubert de Boüard discusses his passion project, Le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard
According to Decanter, Hubert de Boüard discussed Le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard on February 26, 2026. The
Lalande-de-Pomerol wine is 100% Merlot from a 6ha parcel of 70-80-year-old vines and is bottled in around 4,000 bottles annually. -
Decanter Cellar: 20 top-rated Merlots
Decanter published 20 top-rated Merlot wines on January 28, 2026, with Merlot being sorted in
Pomerol . The selection argues that the variety is often underestimated.