Pommard
Les Vaumuriens 2020
The little village of Pommard is jealously guarded by its vineyards, on the flanks of the slope.
The fame of the nectar produced here goes back centuries: for indeed, as long ago as the Middle Ages,
the wines of Pommard were being shipped to the Popes of Avignon…
Origin
Between Beaune and Volnay are the vast vineyards of Pommard, extending out on either side of a monumental coomb. This gives rise to two types of wine: from vines grown on the hill on the Beaune side, and from those originating in the slopes and ‘plunging’ down towards Volnay.
This is the side on which Les Vaumuriens can be found, resting on a mixture of clay and limestone. The soil gives the wine a solid attack in the mouth, and a great elegance at the finish. In old French – and the term is entirely appropriate in this case – ‘Vaumuriens’ describes a narrow, steep-sided valley very high up the hill. The plot is very steep and hilly, and is located in one of the coolest areas of the appellation.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: clay soil rich in iron oxide.
Orientation: East / North-East
Surface area under vine: 0.4338 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 12 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 46 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 3 September 2020.
The grapes were handpicked. They were sorted a first time in the vineyard and again on the sorting table when they arrived at the winery.
At the winery: the grapes were not crushed and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration with 90% whole bunches of 17 days of which 4 days cold (12 ° C): Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used).Vinification without sulfur. 4 punchings of the cap.
Ageing
Maturation: aged for 17 months with no racking or stirring. 43% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: Oak of French origin toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a subtle, delicate touch of oak were used.
Bottling
Bottling in March 2022, the wine was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity.
Number of bottles: 690.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes.
'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: 8 years and more.
Awards
Bourgogne Aujourd'hui Magazine - 14.5/20
Tasting notes
Adorned with a dark red color, this wine reveals a racy bouquet of black fruits and spicy, almost chocolatey notes. The mouth is nicely structured with slightly grainy tannins.
