Château Franc-Maillet Cuveé Jean Baptiste Pomerol 2019

Pomerol is Bordeaux’s smallest appellation, covering only 5 square miles, so of course land is scarce and bottle prices are accordingly very high. But Château Franc-Maillet is relatively under the radar, and their wines are actually quite approachable in terms of both price and style. Today’s bottle, a 2019 Cuvée Jean Baptiste, was originally $100 – which, true, is a considerable amount of money for 750 milliliters of liquid. But when you compare it to neighboring stars like Pétrus and L’Évangile, it’s a deal. And for $50 on Invino, it’s a steal!

This is a special bottling from the standout fruit of the vintage, named for founder Jean Baptiste Arpin, whose descendants still run the winery. It’s mostly Merlot, with 20% Cabernet Franc – a typical Pomerol proportion. And this may not be Petrus, but it outshines many wines three times its price. Super plush and luscious, the scent alone is blowing us away. This has a lot of presence – a big hug of a wine. The palate is loaded with blackberry jam, anise seed, walnuts, plums, clove, and mocha, lifted by rocky minerality. It’s overall harmonious, velvety, and silken, which is exactly what we hope for with Pomerol, where the focus is on fleshy, indulgent texture – rather than the Left Bank’s fierce structure.

96 points, $50 when you order two or more… French wine fans, smart collectors, and all lovers of insanely good texture, go get it!