Pommard 1er cru Grand Clos des Epenots
2007
Domaine de Courcel has been in the hands of the de Courcel family since the 16th century, its 9 hectares situated entirely within the commune of Pommard and comprising some of its finest premier cru sites. For four centuries, the estate has focused on producing wines typical of the Pommard appellation, wines of supreme structure and great finesse. In 1996, Gilles de Courcel decided to appoint Yves Confuron from Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot in Vosne Romanée as winemaker, not in any way to alter...
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Le Grand Clos des Epenots is a monopoly of the Domaine. The plot of 4.89 hectares of land is located north of Pommard, at the start of the slope and is east facing. The soil, which is rich in clay and limestone, is brown and strewn with limestone rocks. The depth of the soil is around 40-60cm and its structure acts as a natural filter. The vines are ~60 years old.
Aromas of red berries and ripe white fruits such as peaches or apricots. The fine tannins are numerous and blend in nicely with the smoothness and the aromas. To be served at 15°C.
The best of the de Courcel reds in 2017, this comes from dense clay soils on the northern side of Pommard. Intense, scented and very rich, it has aromas of incense, white pepper and forest floor, with masses of dark, inky fruit, granular tannins and balancing freshness and acidity on the finish.
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It’s always interesting to compare this with the similarly named Clos des Epeneaux from
Domaine Comte Armand, which is silkier and more open-knit. This is another wine that
makes no concessions to youthful drinkability, but will age well based on the evidence of
previous vintages. Yes, it’s tannic and chewy, but the fruit beneath the carapace is rich,
vibrant and alive.
A dense, well-structured style, yet with ample black cherry, blackberry, violet and iron flavors for balance. This red unfolds nicely, leaving a complex finish that introduces an accent of bittersweet chocolate. Excellent length.
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Here too there is a hint of menthol to the less elegant but more complex nose that displays a dazzling array of spice, floral, earth, underbrush and red currant aromas. There is outstanding richness to the powerful and velvet-textured big-bodied flavors brimming with ample amounts of dry extract that relegate the firm tannic spine to the background on the mouth coating and hugely long finish. This is a burly and quite serious effort that is not especially rustic though one that will require plenty of cellar time to reach its peak.
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The Domaine de Courcel owns a large part of the heart of the Epenots vineyard, within the walls of a clos. This is a wine with a solid structure, cherry and spice flavors, an elegant feel to go with the ripe berry fruits. It is very balanced, the tannins a great support to the fruit.
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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.
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(from an enormous 4.92 ha parcel with vines ranging from 50 to 65 years of age). Super ripe liqueur-like yet still reasonably fresh 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...
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A beautifully layered nose of purple fruit, violets and soil tones leads to exceptionally rich, velvety and sappy medium weight plus flavors that brim with dry extract that does a fine job of buffering the very firm but not hard tannic spine on the dusty and mocha-infused finish. This is a highly complex and robust but reasonably refined and well-balanced Epenots that is built for the long haul.
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Gorgeous aromas of toasty oak lead off in this polished red, followed by black cherry, blackberry and spearmint flavors. The structure present, yet ably matched by concentrated, ripe fruit.
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*Outstanding* Here the nose is 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 quite primary and culminate in a very firm finish that delivers excellent length.
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Deep red-ruby. Aromas of cassis, black cherry, violet, menthol and chocolate call to mind a top wine from Saint-Emilion; just a hint of jamminess. Thick, pure creamy cassis in the mouth; really shockingly fresh and primary, but then I tasted this barely a month after it was bottled. At once dense and juicy on the long, chocolatey finish. I may be underrating this today. Confuron told me that the pHs in his 2009s are in the high 3.8 to 3.9 range, but maintained that one can modify the impression of acidity with fresh aromas and tannins.
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Good bright full red. Deep, nuanced aromas of red berries, spices and underbrush. Rich, vinous and deep, with sweet redcurrant fruit lifted by peppery spices. Shows terrific vivacity and precision in spite of its modest acidity (the pH here is 3.7, according to winemaker Yves Confuron), no doubt due to the whole-cluster fermentation. This generous, sensual wine finishes with fine but seriously gripping tannins.
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