A better, more pronounced nose with dark chocolate and plum. The palate is more pronounced and just as smooth – nicely done – with a good finish.

Vieux Maillet was acquired in 2004 by Hervé and Griet Lavialle, owners of Chateau de Lussac and Franc-Mayne, who built a new winery with stainless steel vats, while embarking on a major program of renovation of the vineyard of 8 hectares (90% merlot, in assemblies) to improve the quality of wines. As of Franc-Mayne and many other Bordeaux properties, techniques for sorting of the grapes are with more sophistication. Despite its hefty (if not exclusive) proportion of Merlot, many people think of wines from this region as separate entities. As one wine aficionado stated recently, "It's not Merlot. It's Pomerol." Despite the region's small size, it contains some of the world's most sought after (and expensive) wines including Pétrus, Le Pin, Lafleur, l'Evangile and Vieux Château Certan. Unlike other Bordelais subregions, there is no system of classification.

Chateau Vieux Maillet has a range of soils, soil and subsoil very different, spread over Pomerol. The terroir of Pomerol is singular: made up of clay soils, layers of sand, and traces of iron nuggets that give its terroir a unique character. This heavier, colder soil is particularly suited to earlier ripening Merlot, giving its wines more depth and concentration than usually encountered in this grape variety. Cabernet Franc does well on the better-drained plots while Cabernet Sauvignon has difficulty ripening correctly on these soils and thus is not encountered much in Pomerol. Area: 8.65 hectares Grape varieties: Merlot 90% - 10% Cabernet Franc.

Barrel ageing is in 80% new oak for twelve to fourteen months.