Pomerol is a tiny appellation on the right bank of the Gironde Estuary that, unlike its neighbor St. Emilion, and its more well-known left bank rival, Medoc, has never classified its wines. No matter. The market has ruled and Pomerol is the home appellation of the most expensive Bordeaux wine of them all, Chateau Petrus, along with many more sought-after, hyper expensive wines. A plateau of gravelly clay and sand, 80% of the vineyard acreage of Pomerol is Merlot with the preponderance of the rest Cabernet Franc and just a little Cabernet Sauvignon, creating full bodied, opulent wines of refined tannins, intensity and complexity that will age beautifully. Phillipe Dignac is the fourth generation of his family to head this sustainably farmed estate, with all the vineyards closely surrounding the Chateau. The grapes are hand picked and the wine is fermented in stainless steel for two to three weeks before aging in French oak for 12 to 14 months with 33% new oak renewed every year. The resulting wine has been refining itself for 5 years in bottle and is just now getting started. A heady mix of red plum, blueberry, bing cherry, vanilla, brown sugar, cocoa, baking spices, all well integrated with polished tannins and a full body would be excellent with beef, lamb or red game meats.