The 2015 Chateau Beau Soleil has a defined and pure dark cherry and black plum-scented bouquet that feels tight and introverted at the present moment. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, well-judged acidity, smooth in the mouth, though I was seeking just a little more personality on the finish. That said, it is one of the better wines from this Pomerol estate that I have tasted in recent years.

The 2014 Beau-Soleil showed much better in bottle than during en primeur, I am pleased to say. It has a compact bouquet with a noticeable shucked oyster shell tincture suffusing the red and black fruit. There is actually decent complexity here and it gains more nuance as it opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, crisp acidity, nicely poised with blackberry and bilberry towards the structured finish. It might lack the length of its peers, but this Beau-Soleil should drink well for several years. Nice to see this wine come right in the end.

An average quality, straightforward Pomerol with little depth and richness, and moderate black cherry and mocha-infused fruit, the 2013 Beau Soleil should be consumed over the next 4-5 years.

A strong effort from Beau Soleil, the 2012 is composed of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, and reveals a dark plum/ruby color along with notes of mocha, caramel, Asian plum sauce and black cherry jam. This medium-bodied, up-front, fruity, fleshy, long Pomerol is not the most complex wine, but it is delicious and satisfying. Enjoy it over the next 7-10 years. This estate is now owned by Chateau Talbot’s former proprietor, Thierry Rustmann, who also runs the Medoc’s up-and-coming cru bourgeois, Senejac.