POMMARD
2015 1er Cru Grand Clos des Épenots Domaine de Courcel
| Grapes | Pinot Noir |
| Colour | Red |
| Origin | France, Burgundy |
| District | Côte d'Or |
| Sub-district | Côte de Beaune |
| Village | Pommard |
| Classification | 1er Cru |
| ABV | 13.5% |
| Vineyard | Grand Clos des Épenots |
Very deep colour to almost impenetrable black at the centre. Cooler expression than the Fremiers. No lack of richness, it's a more restrained, less sweet - a more grown up purity. Wonderful finesse of tannin adding to the the rich body and make a harmonious and immensely concentrated whole. Sensationally long. You may not have the bright precision of some of the more 'modern' wines, but this is twenty years... well I'd bet on it. Drinking range: 2025 - L&S (Nov 2016)
Alternatively, we may well have some bottles in one of our shops - why not give us a call on 0207 244 0522 or send an email to: sales@leaandsandeman.co.uk.
Or, check the RELATED PRODUCTS below for different vintages or wines of a similar style.
This opulent wine has lost some of its baby fat and is beginning to open. The aromas feature forward, ripe, plummy fruit with hints of leather, liquorice and gunflint on the initial attack. The texture is lush and full-bodied, but the tannin has little astringency, just a satisfyingly plump feel and a ripe, lingering finish with a hint of dark chocolate. Drinking now and will only improve over the next few decades. Drinking range: 2024 - 2055 Rating: 95 Charles Curtis MW, Decanter.com (Apr 2024)
Deep ruby-red color. Darker and more brooding on the nose than the Frémiers, offering aromas of blackberry, kirsch and licorice complicated by subtle suggestions of spices, flowers and minerals. A step up in concentration on the palate too, but with an element of saline minerality giving the wine a light touch. A bit more delineated than the Rugiens; in fact today this wine makes the Rugiens seem almost monolithic by comparison. Finishes with very fine-grained tannins and lovely mounting lift. For all its intensity, this wine gives a weightless impression--and really calls for food. This lovely Pommard has a long life ahead of it. Rating: 93 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Jan 2018)
(from an enormous 4.8 ha parcel with vines ranging from 50 to 65 years of age). Super ripe liqueur-like aromas of plum, cassis, earth and a broad array of spice elements precede the massively concentrated flavors that are almost imposingly powerful. The finish drenches the palate with dry extract and this is quite simply lavishly opulent. What is perhaps more remarkable still is how a wine that is so firmly structured can at the same time be approachable. Like the Fremiers, this is well-made and most impressive but again it’s not for me. Drinking range: - 2035 Rating: 91-93 Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com (Apr 2017)
Domaine de Courcel
One of the great domaines of Pommard, with a 400 year history in the same family. The domaine produces a small amount of Bourgogne Chardonnay, a completely over-performing Bourgogne Rouge, a village Pommard (Vaumuriens, 1.44 ha), but the biggest part of the domaine consists of four great Premier Cru expressions of the terroir of Pommard, Fremiers (0.79 ha), Croix Noires (0.58 ha), Grand Clos des Epenots (4.89 ha) and Rugiens (1.07 ha). These represent a very different style to the Clos des Épeneaux of Comte Armand, for example. Yves Confuron, the régisseur, describes the difference between the two top wines by saying that the Grand Clos is 'terreux' while the Rugiens is 'aérien'.
The aim is to limit yields to around 25hl/ha, to attain optimum ripeness. The vines are ploughed, and pruned carefully to suit each one, then de-budded in spring and green-harvested in August to keep the fruit load balanced. Following Yves' usual practice the harvest is late and the vatting is long - usually around a month, with a cold maceration leading into a cool fermentation, and a long post-fermentation soak under the protection of the carbon dioxide given off by the fermentation. The wines are developed in barrel over 21 to 23 months, with a third of the barrels being replaced each year. After racking they are bottled without fining or filtration.
The domaine produces wines with astonishing depth and density that still retain the freshness, just like Yves' own wines at Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot. They are classic vins de garde and patience is advised - and will be amply rewarded.
Available In Bond:
We also have other vintages of de Courcel wines available to buy In Bond from our Fine wine list.
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RELATED PRODUCTS
2013 POMMARD 1er Cru Grand Clos des Épenots Domaine de Courcel
Côte d'Or Burgundy France 13.5% Red
Pinot Noir.
(from an enormous 4.8 ha parcel with vines ranging from 50 to 65 years of age). A deft if not invisible touch of wood sets off the fresh, elegant and pure aromas of airy red berry fruit that exhibit notes of earth, flora...(read more)
Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com
2011 POMMARD 1er Cru Rugiens Domaine de Courcel
Côte d'Or Burgundy France 13.5% Red
Pinot Noir.
To begin with this seems almost bizarrely soft and sexy, but then the tannins kick in and the fruit bulids and intensifies. Really dense and exciting, mineral. Spicy too on the finish, and there is still a sweetness to t...(read more)
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