The small size of the Pomerol appellation and the tiny vineyard sizes mean quality is generally more consistent than wines from St Emilion. In 2010 the disparity between consistency in style and quality was even more apparent. Pomerol did very very well, though it did not hit the high notes achieved by the very best at St Emilion, such as Ausone. While Petrus and Le Pin were better in 2009 than 2010, some lesser-known properties like La Pointe, Nenin and Plince did very well in 2010. There was very little of the jamminess and over-extraction sometimes found in the 2010 St Emilions. This year, the style is more restrained and the best Pomerol wines will age longer than the 2009s and need more bottle age to reach their potential.

Below are a selection of my top picks:

1. 2010 Pétrus, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France The 2010 Petrus opens with notes of spices, cinnamon, plums, blackberries, cedar and violets, followed by luscious flavours and dense, velvety-textured tannins that caress the tongue. Olivier Berrouet, the wine director, says 2010 had amazing sunlight hours with temperatures that were not high, and the clay soil helped to rejuvenate the water stressed (100%) Merlot vines. Yields were lower than in 2009, at 35 hl/ha. (96-98)

2. 2010 Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France The 2010 Vieux Chateau Certan has notes of ripe plums, blackberries, cedar and spices, and amazing concentration and depth on the palate, with a gorgeous array of dark berry fruit characters. Owner Alexander Thienpont says that the 2010 enjoyed maximum photosynthesis and the grapes had both phenolic ripeness and fresh acidity. This is a gorgeous, rich and intricately-layered wine with great freshness and beautifully handled velvety tannins. (96-97)

3. 2010 Château Lafleur, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France The 2010 Lafleur gives up wonderful aromatics of plums, blackberries, spices, tobacco and cedar, with velvety tannins and rich, complex flavours that unfold gently and delicately on the palate, with incredible grace. This is an alluring, hauntingly beautiful wine without any extraction or heaviness and great length. 62% Cabernet Franc, 38% Merlot. (94-96)

4. 2010 Château Le Pin, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France The gorgeous 2010 Le Pin offers aromas of blackberries, plums, cassis, spices and cedar, with a wide spectrum of subtle flavours, ranging from spices and Chinese herbs to plums and cedar. These flavours are enveloped in cashmere tannins, producing a wine of impressive intensity and subtlety – and a very long finish. This is a wine for our grandchildren. (94-96)

5. 2010 Château La Conseillante, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France The 2010 La Conseillante, with its aromas of plums, cassis, blackberries, and cedar, and lovely freshness and nice depth of flavours, is made in a very rich and densely-packed style. The result is a complete, gorgeous wine with balance, refreshing acidity and wonderful length that will need at least 8-10 years of bottle age before it really starts to express itself.  (93-95)

6. 2010 Château Hosanna, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France The 2010 Hosanna, with its aromatics of blackberries, plums, violets and cedar, is a generous full-bodied wine with grace and restraint but fantastic length. This wine is always among my favourites to taste in Pomerol and every year it is consistently complex and elegant, the spices and floral character adding a wonderful dimension to the fruit. This wine will age and evolve for decades.  (92-94)

7. 2010 Château La Fleur de Gay, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France The stunning 2010 La Fleur de Gay has beautiful aromatics of violets, roses, blackberries, cedar, tobacco and spice, which carry through to a palate of gorgeous texture and richness. This is a glorious Pomerol from 2010, a wine that is approachable now but will keep for a few decades.  (93-94)

8. 2010 Château La Fleur-Pétrus, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France The 2010 La Fleur Petrus has very pretty aromatics of blackberries, plums, cedar, spice, and violets, with a wide array of flavours on the palate. There is an impressive delicacy to the flavours, while the tannins and structure suggest a wine for very long aging. (92-94)

9. 2010 Château La Fleur de Boüard Le Plus, Lalande de Pomerol, Bordeaux, France   The 2010 Le Plus de la Fleur de Bouard, with its aromas of plums, blackberries, cassis and cedar, is a modern, generous full-bodied wine with a gorgeous texture. With its cashmere tannins and mouthcoating softness balanced by vibrant plums and blackberries, this is a rich very generous wine of power and intensity, and a very long finish.  (92-94)

10. 2010 Pensées de Lafleur, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France The 2010 Pensees de Lafleur has a truly gorgeous bouquet of violets, spices, plums and blackberries, followed on the palate by an array of spices with very precise flavour definition and amazing freshness and depth. With caressing tannins and flavours that dance on the palate, this is a truly successful Pensees de Lafleur- the best I have tasted in the past ten years! 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc. (92-94)

11. 2010 Château Beauregard, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France The 2010 Beauregard has a pretty, very aromatic nose of violets, cedar, cassis, plums and spices, backed by velvety tannins and layered flavours. This is a gorgeous balanced wine of finesse, which is full and rich without being heavy. (91-93)

12. 2010 Château l’Evangile, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France The 2010 l’Evangile has aromas of cedar, spice, plums, cassis and violets, followed by mixed red berry flavours that are flattering and approachable rather than dense or austere, the problem with many other right bank wines in 2010. This is a very elegant, medium weight l’Evangile, focused on acidity, freshness and lively fruits, which is much more restrained and less exuberant than the 2009. 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc.  (92-93)