Winemaker Notes
The appellation of Pommard lies between Volnay to the south and Beaune to the north. At an elevation of 787 feet this vineyard is on flat land east of the river and abuts highway RN 74. La Levrière is offered as a lieu-dit only by Dugat-Py.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A rare excursion outside Dugat-Py's home territory of the Côte de Nuits, this is an impressive village red from a 70-year-old parcel on clay soils near the route nationale. Plush, broad and comparatively expansive for a Pommard, it has scented 50% new wood, flavours of plum and liquorice and some supporting tannic grip.
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Jasper Morris
Getting on for 80 year old vines, in one block. Rich glowing purple with a beautifully succulent nose. This has been perfectly judged (picking date) soft and ripe yet with good energy behind. Deep red fruit, raspberry but perhaps more strawberry, covers up the tannins. The structural elements are certainly present but perfectly balanced.
Barrel Sample: 90-93 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pommard La Levrière is showing very nicely from bottle, offering up complex aromas of raspberries and cherries complemented by hints of loamy soil, licorice, dried flowers and espresso roast. Medium to full-bodied, layered and elegantly muscular, it's as refined as it was in barrel, built around powdery tannins and lively acids.
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.