Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Deep red. Perfumed and lifted nose, cherries and violets, very stylish. Rich, suave, and full-bodied, compact and concentrated, and has hefty but ripe tannins. It's quite spicy but perhaps lacks a little vigour on the finish. Good length, nonetheless.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2014 tasting, Launay-Horiot's 2014 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens Bas has a pretty, more Volnay-like bouquet with redcurrant and wild strawberry fruit, nicely integrated oak and just a touch of rose petal. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, ample red berries laced with light spice and black tea notes. There is satisfying density and grip toward the finish that is befitting of a Rugiens, a priori a wine that should develop and reward those with the patience to age in bottle. Tasted September 2017.
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.