Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Château Garraud – Lalande de Pomerol / 2018
AOC Lalande de Pomerol – Right Bank, Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷

Overview
From the Esnée family estate, this red Bordeaux blend is composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The Garraud vineyards lie just north of Pomerol proper, where gravelly and clay soils echo the region’s reputation for plush yet structured wines.

Aromas & Flavors
Lush black cherry, plum compote, and cassis wrapped in notes of violet, cocoa, and cedar. Subtle graphite and earthy tobacco hints reflect the Cabernet Franc influence.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied yet polished, with supple tannins and a round mid-palate. Concentrated fruit depth balances with freshness, finishing long and silky with lingering spice.

Food Pairings
Duck breast with cherry glaze, roast lamb, or beef bourguignon. Mushroom risotto, charcuterie, or truffle pasta. Comté, aged Gouda, or Saint-Nectaire.

Verdict
A classic Right Bank profile: generous Merlot fruit framed by Cabernet Franc finesse. Traditional, powerful, and approachable, drinking beautifully now but with the structure to evolve gracefully for another 8–10 years.

Did You Know?
Lalande de Pomerol, though often overshadowed by its famous neighbor Pomerol, offers exceptional value. Many estates here share the same terroir characteristics, producing wines of impressive depth at a fraction of Pomerol’s price tag.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight: This bottle delivers Right Bank soul without the Pomerol price, rich yet refined, and an excellent “insider’s pick” for Bordeaux lovers. Cheers! — 13 days ago

Chris MacLean

9.1

Olives and stones — a month ago

with Sarah

DAL 9000

9.3

Dusty earthy bouquet of mild plums and dark fruit. Medium middle of plums, vanilla and toast? Finishes with a dry long earthy finish. Typical of old world. pronounced turn oh foy. — 2 months ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

For me, this is perfectly aged. Still some nice fruit, but loads of clay-like minerality and cedar in the nose. Soft and palate-coating but with nice balance, the tannins are still present but are not obtrusive. Really long, clingy finish. Really fine. — 5 days ago

Jan de Weerd

9.6

INCREDIBLE!! 💃🏻🕺. So happy. Store a wine for 10 years and the secret revealed. Doesn’t always happen, but here it did! Intense dark cherry, deeply laced with exquisite cigar, earthy minerality. Lead pencil. Yep it’s true, it is there. Still so intense and vibrant. Perfectly made wine. Should give the winemaker a hug! Great experience. The only bad thing is that I had to drink it by myself. My wine partner is in St Luis and experiencing an Opus One from 1982 😳. Wine, what a wonderful thing. — a month ago

Daniel Jara

9.5

Vinazo ! Mi nuevo preferido, silky and smooth, redondo, taninos presentes , complejo — 2 months ago

Jim Stehli

9.3

Happiness is drinking a wine that is simply delicious . It’s simply good. No need to talk about it. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Medium deep garnet ruby , quite thin garnet terracotta rim . This is quite classic and more austere on the nose after the 1990s , grafite , cedar, sweet spice , earthiness and mint. More dry and four square on the palate compared to the 1990s but enough stuffing to fill out. Cassis , plum and blackberry , coffee , grafite . Refreshing acidity , slightly grippy drier tannin. Sous bois , grafite , herbal character with good length and earthy cassis finish . This got better with time in the glass and probably should have been decanted . This shows there is some upside , from now , with time in the glass, and over the next 10 years. The wine that improved the most during the dinner , quite impressive . — 8 days ago

Alvaro Bustillos

9.0

Juan cortina sulaiman — a month ago

Alvaro Bustillos

9.6

Jay rubenstein y amigos — 2 months ago