I’ve always thought we drink Pommard too young. Last night’s bottle was splendid. One of the best aged wines I have ever had.
1923 Chevillot Pommard: The bottle had a mid-shoulder fill, cork came out in one piece and had done a marvelous job. This was a beautiful bottle of wine, with complex aromas and flavours. It had notes of teak, leather, moss, seaweed, blood and smoked meats. The palate had something sweet and vinous at its core and all sorts of savoury nuance. It had the slippery texture of an oyster and tannins were completely resolved. The finish has wonderful acidity and fabulous length.
It was a bottle that I bought as part of an older wines parcel out of Paris. I believe it came from a restaurant cellar and had been there for a very long time. I know nothing about the producer but did see a positive note on a 1923 Bonnes Mares from Chevillot in Allen Meadows and Doug Barzelay’s ‘Burgundy Vintages’ book.
Pommard made today doesn’t need longer than the wine of any other village before it becomes enjoyable, on the whole, though Courcel might be an exception. The characterisation of the wines as burly and brutal is outdated; that’s really true of only the least of village plots.
Fascinating notes as always, Jeremy. You are able to taste (and share notes for) some truly rare, unusual, and amazing bottles. I love your pithy poetic write ups.
I’ve wondered, for all the amazing aged bottles you post about, how many dead OTH wines do you try? I’ve never had the privilege of drinking wines anywhere near the age/rarity of many that you post about regularly, and nonetheless, have had my fair share of bottles that are totally dead. Just curious about your fail rate, since us WBera tend to only hear about the successes.
Thanks and please keep posting about these amazing wines!
With regards to 50+ years of age, not a huge percentage that are completely shagged. When they are it is usually tca that affects them (maybe 5%). You sometimes have to be a bit forgiving with them, as there’s a bit of volatility or aldehyde. There’s the odd bottle where the cork has completely failed and it is oxidised, but less as a percentage than tca in my experience.
Agree Tom. The modern wines are much gentler of extraction and picked a little riper. We import the Domaine Michel Rebourgeon wines into Australia. They have a suite of excellent Pommard vineyards, with serious vine age, and make enthralling, highly perfumed wines that can be enjoyed young. I don’t doubt they’ll age for decades too.
