Comte Armand Pommard Clos des Épeneaux Monopole 1er Cru 2019

The 2019 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru was picked over three days starting with the young vines on 14 September. This is almost completely de-stemmed and matured in around 40% new oak. It has a very intense bouquet with black cherries, blueberries, crushed limestone, traces of violet, and blood orange. The palate is very well balanced, quite opulent in style with a saline, briny note on the entry. Very good depth, fleshier in style than recent vintages with brown spices and cloves towards the persistent finish. I suspect that this might be more approachable than other vintages of Clos des Epeneaux but it will still age with style.

Zanetti divides the Clos des Epéneaux into four sections, which are all fermented and matured separately and then assembled. The assemblage of the three is the most compelling, with a mix of violet notes and expressive cherry fruit aromas on the attack, plus mineral, spice, and saline notes that develop with time. There is plenty of body, but little of the tannic, slightly rustic character for which Pommard can be known.