We discovered Domaine Pountet at the Lille wine show but we knew the Bruhlois appellation from visits to the Lot and Garonne region to meet the family. The Bruhlois appellation is situated on the banks of the Garonne river south of the city of Agen which is famous for its prune production. The climate and weather is well suited to the growth of wine grapes as it is under the influence of the Mediterranean. The soil is a mixture of gravel and clay so the forested slopes produce the finest wine grapes. Domaine Pountet use grapes from selected parcelles of vineyard to make L'Horloge predominantly from black Malbec grapes.
The Domaine is a member of the Vignerons Indépendant which I have written about before; L'Horloge 2012 red is a prize winning wine and it deserves every accolade that it accrues. The 2012 which we tasted over the Christmas period has an intense dark purple colour, the wine is extremely complex and concentrated on the nose and on the palate, it tastes of dark fruits, liquorice, spice and vanilla and dare I say prunes. The taste lingers long on the palate. The wine is of course full bodied and sumptuous and the tannin is now beginning to soften. You can drink the 2012 year now but it will keep longer.
What makes this such a good wine? It is from the quality of the grapes acquired and from the technical ability and passion of Guillaume and Amanda Combes - the winemakers. The wine has a distinctive taste of its own but it reflects the character of the appellation and only the best growers and winemakers can achieve this.
This is wine to be savoured and not sloshed down at a party or barbeque we drank it with rare rib of beef; it should always be consumed with good food.
Most people in the UK have never heard of this wine so they are missing a treat. It can hold its own with the best wines from anywhere and I highly recommend that you search it out.
Because of travel restrictions, we were unable to travel to France but the Domaine sent us a case which arrived before the problems surrounding importation because of the Covid 19 epidemic. Probably after Brexit there will be increased duty on wine if you import it to the UK, but this wine is so good it will not detract from its value for money.
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