2007 POMMARD 1er Cru Grand Clos des Épenots Domaine de Courcel

Wood smoke, burley tobacco, and leather on the nose of Courcel's 2007 Pommard Grand Clos des Epenots proceed to accent ripe, lightly-cooked cherry and blackberry on the palate. Like the corresponding 2008, this shows its tannins less flatteringly and more obviously than its stable mates, but there is ample glycerin to help smooth things, with leather and tobacco dominating in a long if only moderately sweetly-fruited finish. I would speculate on cellaring this for 4-6 years, but check it out again periodically for a sense of how the tannins are evolving.   89

Profound and brooding on the nose with pure, elemental, blackcurrant fruit. This is really distinguished by a lush, sensuous texture on the palate. It is broad and lush with firm, but seamless, tannins. Big but not burly. Richly fruity on the finish with that same pure, blackcurrant fruit. Fine+. From 2012/13.

This is also notably ripe and quite densely fruited with a mix of underbrush, warm earth, game and red currant aromas that introduce dense, serious, robust, indeed even burly flavors that are so primary that it’s clear that this needs more time in barrel before it’s bottled. Confuron explained that the malo was late with this wine and it shows. 2017+   90-92/100

Full and deep and dark and dry - good stuff! Sweet black cherries on the nose. Racy and very lively. Bracing but promising. Very classic Pommard. Needs quite a time but nothing tarty about this. Very long. 2013-2018   17.5

Good bright, dark red. Sexy, deep aromas of cherry, raspberry, spices, iron, mocha and earth. Sweet, dense and very ripe, but with excellent energy to the flavors of redcurrant, spices and tobacco. This really coats the mouth with flavor. Finishes very long and sweet, with tannins reaching the front teeth. Very complete wine with superb potential. The crop here was reduced 30% by hail in June, noted Confuron, with ultimate production just under 20 hectoliters per hectare.   91-93/100