Winemaker Notes
From one of the top premier crus in Pommard, this wine explodes from the glass with aromas of lush raspberry, blood orange, and violets. The palate is equally powerful and complex, unfurling with notes of wild strawberry, fresh pomegranate, and crushed rock. A beautifully textured and polished wine that touts a refreshing, mineral core, and delightfully lengthy finish.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
There is plenty of polished purple fruit on the initial attack, but the 100% whole-cluster ferment also gives a slight menthol tone, some savoury notes and a smoky, almost exotic edge. With time one sees the firm strength of the tannic structure that leads the wine to a lingering finish. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with a bit of turbidity to 'keep the floral aromatics' according to Girardin, this will doubtless evolve interestingly in the years to come. This is on the edge of being classed as a natural wine but is still very elegant and sophisticated.
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Vinous
The 2021 Pommard Les Rugiens-Bas 1er Cru has an intense and well-defined bouquet with raspberry, wild strawberry and rooibos—aromatics you would expect from a warmer vintage. You might mistake it for a Grenache! The palate is well balanced with a sapid entry, quite ripe and vivid with white pepper and thyme. It is not complex though and just misses some density on the elegant finish that improves with aeration. Early drinking but delicious early drinking.
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.