A group of us get together about every quarter to drink through a specific Burgundy appellation. Last night was Pommard, and it was pretty interesting. We drank everything single-blind. The tasting very much reinforced the Pommard stereotype of burly, structured wines that will age forever. The only wine that was really ready was the '78 Boillot Rugiens. Here are quick-hit notes on what we drank.
78 Boillot Rugiens - Soft and mature with a lovely nose of red fruits and dried flowers. A touch simple. (92)
85 Maison Leroy Vignots - Not good. Barnyard and just generally funky and disjointed. (NR)
85 Armand Clos des Epeneaux - Very good and in the running for wine of the night. I guessed late '90s and was surprised to see it was an '85. Not much on the nose but deep, dark brooding fruit and a fair bit of complexity. (93)
96 Francois Gaunoux Les Grands Epenots - Among the best wines of the night. Pure, concentrated dark fruits and in a very nice spot with room to improve still. Some savory complexity. None of the harsh acids that 96 can bring. (93)
98 Courcel Rugiens - Good-ish but far from great. Concentrated fruit but kind of disjointed. Odd nose. (89)
99 de Montille Rugiens - Probably my WOTN. Beautiful wine in a beautiful place. Red and dark fruits. Fine structure. Nice acidic lift. Long finish. Even longer future ahead. This is the one I kept coming back to. (94)
99 Courcel Grand Clos des Epenots - Shockingly young. Astonishingly so. All the raw material but decades to go until maturity. Everyone guessed something like 2015. A wine for the grandchildren. (92)
99 Michel Gaunoux Grands Epenots - Not good. Worst wine of the tasting aside from the flawed Leroy. Stewed fruit. (85)
99 Armand Clos des Epeneaux - Total bruiser but potential. Complex. Very dark.and serious. (90)
99 Vincent Dancer Pezerolles - Very enjoyable and even more so with air. One of the more delicate wines. Redder fruit and quite fragant. (91)
99 Potel Jarollieres - Very structured. Not sure the fruit will survive the structure. Didn’t leave much of an impression. (88)
16 Courcel Fremiers - Surprised to the upside. Young but very perfumed. More open than I would have expected. (91)
16 Dubreuil-Fontaine Epenots - Nice wine but not memorable. Got lost in the shuffle. (87)
17 Jean-Marc Bouley Rugiens - A total beauty in its youth. Pure fruits. Nice mid-palate concentration. This may end up being the best of them all. (93)
And a couple champagnes…
12 Lassaigne ‘Clos St. Sophie’ BdB - I adore this wine and this was an excellent showing. Citrusy and vibrant with a mineral spine. Lots of ripe fruit. (93)
11 Vouette & Sorbee Sobre Brut Nature - Interesting wine. Apples and baking spices but really quite bright. Late disgorgement. (91)
