Comte Armand Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru 2019

Owned by the family of the Comte Armand since 1825, Clos des Epeneaux is among Pommard’s most revered vineyards. Post-phylloxera, it wasn’t replanted until 1930. Further vineyards were acquired in ’94: Auxey-Duresses, Auxey-Duresses Premier Cru, Volnay, and Volnay’s Frémiets.

The modern era effectively began with Pascal Marchand, who was succeeded as a winemaker by Benjamin Leroux. When Ben left in 2014 to focus on his own business, Paul Zinetti took the reins. The grapes of two of the most prized parcels of the village are assembled for this wine. Les Breterins is a south-facing parcel with light, white soil prompting earlier ripeness and wines abundant with fruit. Les Duresses is southeast-facing with brown clay earth giving more dense, and tannic results. The complementarity of these two parcels results in a serious, powerful wine.