Chateau Belles-Graves Lalande de Pomerol Bordeaux 2019

Lalande-de-Pomerol sits immediately north of Pomerol and, at its best, gives you a good deal of Pomerol's plump, earthy charm for a fraction of the price. The soils here have more gravel and sand than Pomerol's heavier clay. Château Belles-Graves takes its name from exactly that gravel, which helps the Merlot ripen early.

The estate is old: its vineyards appear on a 16th-century map, and the château predates the French Revolution. It also has an unexpected footnote. Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a first cousin of Jean Theallet of Belles-Graves, and the wines have sailed the world aboard the Calypso. The 2019 is 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, with generous, ripe black fruit on very supple tannins. It is already delicious and quite capable of another decade, gaining notes of truffle and leather as it goes.

At a glance: 88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc · Lalande-de-Pomerol, Bordeaux · organic · vegan · ageing potential 10–15 years

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