According to Guillaume Paradin historian of the Middle Ages, "The wines of Pommard are the flower of the wines of Beaune"
Pommard, one of the most internationally renowned Burgundy wines, easy to pronounce, amateurs love its robust and tannic side. In addition, in the nineteenth century its name acquires a worldwide notoriety, which is why a large part of its production is exported today!
The Pommard controlled designation of origin is a reference ! Known since the Middle Ages, this appellation has been protected and respected since 1936, since at the time Pommard suffered from fraud.
Burgundy has a quarter of the AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée), or 83 out of 366 AOC wines in France. Including Pommard, village appellation of the Côte de Beaune, located between Beaune and Volnay in Côte d'Or, occupying the bottom and middle of the hillside, on gentle slopes generally.
In Burgundy, the different plots determine a regional, communal, premier cru and grand cru appellation according to their geographical location.
Hierarchy of appellations in Burgundy
In order to better navigate, its 83 appellations have been divided into 4 levels:
- Grands Cru appellations
- Premiers cru appellations
- Communal appellations (villages)
- Regional names (sometimes called "generic" or "sub-regional")
Here is the hierarchy of appellations for Pommard
- Pommard
- Pommard premier cru
- Pommard premier cru + name of a climate
- Pommard + name of a climate
This appellation offers red wines exclusively, from the Pinot Noir grape variety. Either in premier cru (to which perhaps add the name of the original climate), an area of 115 hectares; or in the communal appellation, an area of 197 hectares, unfortunately no grands crus for Pommard.
Here are the 28 climates classified as premier cru :
- The Rugiens-Bas
- The Rugiens-Haut
- The Grands-Épenots
- The Petits-Épenots
- Clos des Épeneaux
- The Charmots
- The Arvelets
- La Platière
- La Chanière
- The Pézerolles
- The Sausages
- The Boucherottes
- In Largillière
- Clos de Verger
- Clos de la Commaraine
- The Refène
- Clos Blanc
- Behind Saint John
- The Chaponnières
- The Black Crosses
- The Poutures
- The Clos Micot
- Les Combes-Dessus
- The Bertins
- The Fremiers
- The Jarolières
- The Chanlins-Bas
- The Village
These 28 climates classified as premier crus are divided into three parts, one on the Volnay side, another on the Beaune side and the last on the hillside, facing south, leading to Nantoux.
Two of them, Les Epenots (Beaune side) and Les Rugiens (Volnay side) are the best known Pommard premier crus!
Soil
The terroir of the Pommard appellation benefits from an oceanic climate with semi-continental influence, as for the vines, they are planted between 240 and 380 meters above sea level. They produce a grape with a lot of subtlety and a minerality characteristic of Burgundy.
Most of the communal appellations of Pommard are located at the bottom of the slope, on more clayey, less calcareous terroirs ; sometimes higher, on calcium brown and calcareous brown soils.
The appellations premiers crus of Pommard occupy the middle of the hillside, on clay-limestone soils, well drained thanks to a pebble of rocky debris and marl limestone (a mixture of clay and limestone). This terroir is very rich in fossils and ferrous nodules, its greasy soil makes it possible to produce excellent Pommard premier cru.
Tasting
The wines of the Pommard appellation are known to be powerful and tannic !
Lots of color, an intense red, ruby appearance with purple reflections. A bouquet of extraordinary aromatic richness , notes of ripe black fruit (blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, plum, …), a very beautiful length where you feel slightly astringency in the mouth. A very firm wine, with tannins present.
When Pommard ages, this appellation offers a deeper wine rich in emotion! It is oriented towards chocolate, spicy flavors (pepper, …), animal (leather, …), a delicate, pleasant and fruity structure in the mouth. Without forgetting its beautiful power with its firm, massive and dense tannins!
This magnificent bottle goes wonderfully well with red meats (a prime rib, a steak, …), game, lamb and for surprising pairings, a cheese with character (epoisses, langres,…).
During service, it is advisable to choose the most suitable lenses and a temperature between 14 and 16 ° C seems perfect.
ThePommard ppellation has managed to seduce important figures in the history of France, such as Ronsard, Victor Hugo, Henri IV, Louis XV and why not you? 🍷
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