{"product_id":"comte-armand-pommard-1er-cru-clos-des-epeneaux-2016","title":"Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux 2016","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNeal Martin, Vinous, November 2018 - 94P\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2016 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru has a classic, undergrowth infused bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, hints of stewed black tea emerging with time, tobacco and rose petal. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, succulent and juicy with a fleshy, almost Volnay-like finish that is very appealing. This is a well crafted and comparatively approachable Pommard. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNeil Martin, Robert Parker, December 2017 - 93-95P\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2016 Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux contains 10% whole-bunch fruit. I tasted from two cuvées, one from the young vines and one from the old. The young vines has clean and pure black cherry, red plum and lightly blueberry fruit that conveys a sense of energy. The palate is well balanced with succulent ripe black fruit, very fine tannin, a taut line of acidity but real complexity and tension from start to finish. I love the harmony and effortlessness of these younger vines. The cuvée from older vines demonstrated more black fruit with traces of undergrowth, a little more rondeur with impressive depth and structure on the persistent, marine\/oyster shell-tinged finish. This has enormous potential and may challenge the supremacy of the 2015.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"sc-fcyAHI hpPVPA\"\u003eWell, let’s just say that I was not anticipating a tasting at Comte Armand that would stretch from dusk ‘til dawn. Indeed, there were only three wines for me to taste since frost had put pay to their Volnay Village (just half a barrel survived) and nary a drop of Bourgogne Chardonnay. “We lost 50% to 80% of the crop,” winemaker Paul Zinetti told me, “and in Clos des Epéneaux we lost more than 70%, although the stone wall on the lower part of the vineyard offered a little protection from the frost. We have parcels of old vines and since 2014 they have found it difficult to recover from the hail and now the frost. Fortunately in 2017 there were 29 to 30 hectoliters per hectare. I have not pulled up these old vines although I may consider doing that in 2019. It is never easy. We started picking on 23 September and it took just a day and a half to pick the Clos des Epéneaux instead of the usual three. We had some bunches with just three or four berries and it took time. For extraction, we did just a single day with two punch downs. This is the first year that I used a vertical press and that had a good result.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReaders may remember last year’s report where I photographed Z with his new vertical press, which replaced the Bucher. Tasting directly from the barrel of vin de presse, without question the tannins were extremely fine and pure. “There are 29 barrels of Clos des Epéneaux in 2016 and 70 in 2017,” he continued. “But I like the 2016 that has good energy, salinity with drinkability.” Perhaps the only cuvée I felt suffered from the growing season was Comte Armand’s Volnay 1er Cru Frémiets that was denuded (at this early stage) the brightness and purity of the Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru. But I found immense promise within the component parts of the Clos des Epéneaux, which in my opinion has improved steadily over the last two decades. Now there is much more refinement and terroir expression that will doubtlessly be enhanced by the higher quality of vin de presse. Next year, while not expecting a tasting marathon chez Comte Armand, I look forward to tasting their full range of wines.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domaine Comte Armand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50191163326730,"sku":"CEW006","price":1625.0,"currency_code":"DKK","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0706\/9273\/3194\/files\/ComteArmandPommardEpeneauxSQ.png?v=1730124403","url":"https:\/\/carlwandel.shop\/products\/comte-armand-pommard-1er-cru-clos-des-epeneaux-2016","provider":"Carl Wandel \u0026 Søn","version":"1.0","type":"link"}