Winemaker Notes
Pairs best with beef Bourguignon, poultry dishes or mature cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Cherry and iron flavors meld together nicely in this red, along with spice and earth accents. Lingers on the crisp finish, where a smoky note emerges. Best from 2020 through 2032. 100 cases imported
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epenots comes from four hectares of vine that have been hail affected over the last two years, so that yields are just 13 hectoliters per hectare. It has a fragrant nose, the new oak (30%) adding a creamy sheen to the red cherry and wild strawberry fruit, touches of blueberry coming through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent, quite strict tannin, tightly wound at the moment with a slight metallic note towards the finish that should be gone by the time of bottling. Range: 88-90
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Representing some of the darkest, deepest and sturdiest Pinot Noir of Burgundy, Pommard is one of the two villages in Côte de Beaune—along with Volnay—that is recognized for its impressive Pinot Noir. While it can’t boast any Grands Crus vineyards, its extraordinary Premiers Crus vineyards are aplenty.
Les Pézerolles, Les Épenots, Clos des Épeneaux, Les Chanlins, Les Jarolières, Les Fremiers and particularly Les Rugiens are among the most outstanding Premiers Crus.
The best Pommards will be concentrated in flavors such as black cherry, blackberry and dark chocolate, have dazzling aromas of violets, menthol or wild herbs and a firm and powerful finish. They typically demand some time in the bottle to reach their peak.