Winemaker Notes
The nose offers red and black fruit notes such as cherry. Velvet, flesh and strength on the palate, with energy, power and a great balance.
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
A bright and even colour. Somewhat reductive, but that soon clears to give fresh berry fruit with a touch of crème pâtissière. The oak is fairly marked on the palate but it does not denature the fruit – it will just need a good few years yet to assimilate.
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Vinous
The 2020 Pommard Clos des Epenots ler Cru has an attractive bouquet with brambly red fruit, sous-bois and a touch of bay leaf. It has fine focus and delineation and is classic in style. The palate is medium-bodied with sharp tannins on the entry. A linear and taut Pommard, it has a gentle grip and is quite saline, especially towards the finish.
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.