2005 Château La Croix St. Georges, 12-bottle Lot, Wood Case

Château La Croix St.-Georges is an 11-acre estate in Pomerol. It is owned by Jean-Philippe Janoueix and is one of Pomerol’s garagiste estates. Its debut vintage was 1999 and it has received compliments from reviewers since that year. The 100% Merlot is made in very small quantities of no more than 7,000 bottles annually. The second wine is Le Prieure.

Lalande-de-Pomerol is a red wine appellation just north of Pomerol. The two main communes are Lalande-de-Pomerol and Néac. As part of the Bordeaux Right Bank, the wines of this appellation are primarily Merlot, with additions of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Although Lalande-de-Pomerol has historically been considered a lesser appellation than its distinguished neighbor Pomerol, in recent decades Lalande-de-Pomerol has been revitalized as owners of estates in Pomerol also acquire estates in Lalande-de-Pomerol, typically using the same winemakers and viticultural practices for both estates. Without almost 2,600 vineyard acres, Lalande-de-Pomerol is slightly larger than Pomerol. The official appellation was awarded in 1954, although some estates had been using Lalande-de-Pomerol designations on their labels as early as the 1920s.