A Pommard Dinner

I guess this is a somewhat unusual theme for a Bourgogne wine dinner - Pommard. I have always admired the wines of Pommard (even though it's not everyone's favourite these days and there is an image problem associated with it) and I was so happy to be joined by 7 other Pommard fans. One of us brought a Corton Blanc by Parent, also another Pommard producer.  We were very looked after by owner of La Fleur restaurant, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
2009 Corton Blanc, Parent
Lemon core, with some golden reflections. An intense nose of pineapple, acacia, liquorice, hazelnuts and vanilla, with the oak element still not quite integrated. Full-bodied, luscious mouthfeel, lots of rich extract, balanced by firm acidity. Finishes long. Slightly austere at this stage, will benefit from 3 - 4 years of bottle age for the oak to fully integrate. 17/20

First Flight
2005 Pommard, Louis Jadot
A medium ruby core. Bright red fruit of cherry, raspberry, laced with some spicy notes. Light bodied, fine tannin, and refreshing. 15/20

Second Flight
This flight is a vertical of 3 vintages of Comte Armand's Clos des Epeneaux. The monopole of Clos des Epeneaux is 0.61 ha in Les Grands Epenots (1/9) and 4.62 ha in Les Petits Epenots (8/9), with the monopole accounting for half the vineyard area owned by the domaine. The wall around the vineyard was established in 1805 and the enclosed vineyard was a gift from Nicolas Marey to his daughter when she married Comte Armand. The Epenots are situated at the northern end of Pommard (the Beaune end), with some areas of more shallow topsoil, say 20 cm, and other areas with deeper topsoil, as much as 80 cm. The 1990 vintage was made by French-Canadian Pascal Marchand, who left the domaine in 1999, hence the next 2 vintages were made by his young successor Benjamin Leroux. Pascal started to adopt organic farming principles in 1992 and when Benjamin Leroux took over, one of the first things he did was to move the vineyard management to biodynamic principles.

1990 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux, Comte Armand
Deep ruby. A very intense bouquet of black fruit, almost stewed, compounded with some floral, earthy, animal and liquorice notes, almost like a Barolo, as some of us commented on. A big and brooding wine, broad-structured, rather hefty, lacking in charm, with firm and still astringent tannin. High acidity. It is not clear whether the fruit will last as long as it takes for the tannin to soften. Jury is still out, I guess. I would probably drink this now, accompanied by a meaty dish, grilled steak and venison, for example. 16/20

2002 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux, Comte Armand
A classy show of Pommard 1er Cru that has just reached its apogee and will hold well for many years too come. A gorgeous nose of floral, ripe black cherry, with some sappy notes. Beautifully integrated, with a very fine backbone of silky tannin and vibrant acidity, giving an elegantly mouthcoating texture. Totally harmonious now, with plenty of finesse and floral character, richly complex, but without the meatiness nor heftiness of the 1990 vintage, and finishes extremely long. The most complete wine in this flight of 3 Comte Armand's Clos des Epeneaux. Drink now and over next 10 - 15 years. 18/20

2007 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux, Comte Armand
Already showing some tertiary evolution, showing raspberry, earth, game, herbal and even medicinal notes. An elegant and lithe Pommard, displaying Pommard characteristics, but well framed with fine tannin and refreshing acidity, giving a very supple texture with a good level of concentration and depth. Drinking very well now, and over next 8 - 10 years. 17/20

Third Flight
The third flight consists rather of 3 wines that are a bit more diverse, from 2001 to 2008, by different winemakers.
2002 Pommard 1er Cru, Maison Leroy
A medium ruby core. Lovely aromatics of redcurrant, raspberry and floral. Fine tannin, but acidity seems rather poignant at this tasting. Drying finish. 15.5/20
2001 Pommard Les Rugiens-Bas, Michel Gaunoux
The best representation of what a modern day classic of Pommard would be like. This captures the essence of what I love about Pommard: aromatics of animal, game, ripe red fruit, earth and spice; with a robust but finely toned structure of firm but refined tannin, vibrant acidity, and distinct minerality, complete with balance, precision, and harmony. Totally irresistibly silky in texture, marvellously elegant and delineated with very fine detail, perfectly balanced, and finishes exceptionally long. This is drinking perfectly now, and will continue to do so for another 15+ years. 18.5/20

Les Rugiens-Bas, the better part of the Rugiens vineyard, which lies at the southern end of Pommard (the Volnay end). Here the iron in the soil has been oxidised, giving a red colour, hence the name Rugiens.

2008 Pommard Grand Clos des Epenots, de Courcel
A very aromatic nose, followed by a supple attack on the palate, slowly revealing a robust texture of firm chewy tannin and concentrated and ripe phenolic extract. A hefty wine and a promising one in the making, needs probably another 5 - 6 years before it comes together. Finishes long, with a sappy note at the moment. Suspect this will fall away with more bottle age. 18/20

The Grand Clos des Epenots is situated inside Les Petits Epenots. Gilles de Courcel is head of the domaine, but his full-time job stays with the management of Maison Chanson. Yves Confuron from Vosne Romanée has been the winemaker here since 1996. Today, the vines are farmed biodynamically. Here the domaine practices low yields, late harvest, whole cluster vinification and long élevage (16 - 18 months roughly). I should also mention that Domaine de Courcel are relatives of Domaine Lejeune, which is another favourite of mine......well-structured and ageworthy Pommards, without losing their elegance and finesse.  Check out their Rugiens and Argillières here! 

Fourth Flight
This is the 'oldies' flight.....

1978 Pommard Les Rugiens, François Gaunoux
The garnet colour belies the amazing energy still possessed by this gorgeous wine. A very fine and mature bouquet of dried rose petals, leather, game, mocha, leather and sous-bois. There is beautiful minerality still on the palate, framed by very silky tannin, and lovely acidity. This is a sensational wine displaying vibrant energy (at this age), wonderful mature Bourgogne complexity, with all the Pommard characteristics in full flow! Finishes so long, with a hint of the familiar caramel-like sweetness for mature wines on the finish. Drink now and over next 8 - 10 years. 19/20

1959 Pommard, Marquis d'Angerville
This is probably the biggest surprise this evening. A village Pommard at 53 years old. Strictly speaking, it probably saw better days about 10 years ago and has begun its gradual decline. A lovely medium garnet. A note of volatility has crept into the complex bouquet of red fruit, floral, spicy, leather, savoury and earthy and coffee. A very elegant presentation, though lacking the weight, depth or the complexity of the premiers crus in this tasting. Nevertheless, it still had all of us marvelling at its silky texture, timeless elegance and ageability. Very admirable! 17.5/20

What a very educational tasting!  Alan organised the food so well that we had plenty of time to taste the wines and discuss with each other.  All the wines demonstrated a trueness to Pommard characteristics, together with ageworthiness as well as the finesse and elegance that often eluded the wider audience of Bourgogne lovers.  These are great quality wines, and relatively more affordable than their counterparts in Côte de Nuits!  I love them!