Parker praises Pomerol in 2012 overview

Critic Robert Parker has praised Pomerol in his latest overview of the Bordeaux 2012 vintage.

The Wine Advocate‘s figurehead described the vintage and resulting wines as “complex” but only because of the difficult weather.

Parker explained that the earlier ripening of Merlot meant that the Right Bank was not subject to the agonies of the Left, where the length of the season meant that most of the Cabernet Sauvignon crop was still on the vine when rain came in October, leading to rot.

He said that the quality of Pomerol “unquestionably” made it the top appellation, with the quality “not far off the blockbuster years of 2009 and 2010.”

Saint Emilion he also praised and the whites of Graves, which he thought had the potential to be better than the 2010s.

The reds too he thought excellent, although it is probably no coincidence that the problems he described with the Cabernet has led Haut-Brion to declare that it is adding “record” amounts of Merlot to this year’s wines.

The Médoc he described as the most complicated to navigate though there were good wines to be had “but pick extremely selectively”. The main problem he picked up on in the wines (due to the late rains) was the “greenness” of the tannins and also a lack of a mid-palate.

He ended by stressing that prices had to come down, ideally to 2008 levels, but he conceded he could not see that latter wish coming to fruition in most cases.

The full video can be viewed on erobertparker.com here (£).