Pommard 1er cru Les Rugiens
2011
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...
See the DOMAINE DE COURCEL detail page for more information on this brand
If you don’t like Pommard that tastes like traditional, come-back-in-a-decade Pommard,
then you won’t appreciate this. Sourced from an old vine, 1.6-hectare parcel on rich, red clay soils and fermented with all its stems, it’s a tannic, even slightly forbidding wine that puckers the roof of your mouth right now. But be patient! This will turn into something remarkable in another decade or more.
Big, bold, ferrous and rich, this is true to the domaine's aim to produce serious, slightly forbidding wines that take a long time to soften in bottle. Blood, iron and a butcher's shop full of guts and fresh meat, this needs a decade but will reward your patience.
See detailed press review
Good ruby-red. A distinctly different expression of Pommard from the Grand Clos des Epenots, with the nose dominated by darkest berries, minerals and chocolate. Densely packed and highly concentrated but less open to inspection than the Grand Clos des Epenots; very closed in on itself but already suggests outstanding complexity. Very broad, firm tannins saturate the entire palate and the very long, rising finish leaves the tongue glistening. Classic white-soil Rugiens: already complex on the nose but in need of cellaring to gain in pliancy and expand.
See detailed press review
There's plenty of black cherry, black currant and violet aromas and flavors in this red, along with a backbone of assertive, dusty tannins. All the elements are in the correct proportion, but just need time to integrate. The long aftertaste also indicates potential.
See detailed press review
Tightly wound and linear, with sandalwood, sweet spice and cedar notes accenting the cherry and strawberry flavors. Complex and dense, but will need time to unwind. Excellent length.
See detailed press review
...This too is nothing short of massively concentrated, ripe and sumptuously opulent with a subtle minerality that helps to add lift to the borderline thick and ever-so-slightly warm finish. This too is most impressive in its fashion though to call it particular would be an understatement.
See detailed press review
Good bright red. Complex, ripe aromas of raspberry, cherry, iron, minerals, spices, pepper and truffley underbrush. The sweetest, supplest and most refined of these 2011s, offering lovely harmonious acidity to its red fruit, red licorice and mineral flavors. Really coats the mouth and vibrates on the long, firmly tannic finish, which features a late burst of ripe but lively red fruits. Winemaker Yves Confuron says the 2011s here have similar precision to the 2010s but more middle, although he believes that the wines have shut down following the September 2013 bottling.
See detailed press review
There is really lovely complexity to the cool, restrained and elegant aromas of ripe red and blue pinot fruit and wet stone nuances that enjoy added refinement from the presence of dried floral elements. There is a suave, round and sophisticated mouth feel to the intensely mineral-driven flavors that are shaped by firm and dense yet fine-grained tannins, all wrapped in a mocha-inflected finish. This is an unusually ripe 2011.
See detailed press review