Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
A deep but bright yellow. The bouquet is very spicy, a little bit toasty and definitely some bacon fat. The nose suggests that this will be a richly textured wine, though it calms down in the glass. Really interesting, complex yellow fruit, but not too heavy. A little bite of sandalwood, but the fruit is far more prominent than the oak. Just the light bacon richness of the vintage, fine long and stylish. All the elements began to integrate magically. This was a real discovery for me.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Pommard 1er Cru Les Croix Noires, one of the smallest premier crus of the appellation on fine grey clay soils, includes 10% whole-cluster fruit. It has a slightly more tertiary-driven bouquet than Anne Parent’s other cuvées, just a hint of brine underneath the carapace of blackberry and wild cherries. The palate is medium-bodied with a little more volume and flesh than the Les Argillières, plus a little more length. Excellent.
Range: 90-92
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.