Pommard

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY ‘s tasting notes – Retailer ; “De Corps et d’Esprit” in Paris

A lovely garnet robe, fairly dense and luminous – an archetypal Pinot from Burgundy.
Nose of brown fruit, particularly damson; black fruit – blackberry (jelly and jam) and blueberry (jam and coulis), or very black cherry; there’s also red fruit – very ripe strawberry and raspberry in concentrated coulis. The traditional peony of the terroir is obviously present, accompanied by notes of vermilion and black tulips, cocoa and chocolate with a high cocoa content (at least 70%), and hints of quince and wine-marinated pear.
Full-bodied on the palate, a silky mouthfeel, much more so than is usual for such a young Pommard; red and black plums, damsons; beautiful and powerful black pepper, mixed with cloves, cardamom and liquorice; duck or wood pigeon blood; chilli, like that of harissa; blackberry jelly and jam, blueberry jelly, a hint of marmalade (with palpable zest), a hint of apricot jam (the stone and a little of the flesh is apparent).
Clean, tense, very focused finish; tannins of a rare maturity, set right at the top of the jaw without even touching the rest; astonishing persistence of fruit; sumptuous balance. 93+.
This vintage is less wild; it will age without ever losing its harmony; a guaranteed prognosis.
So ‘universal’ that we picture it generously shared around Christmas or Thanksgiving turkey; it will be just as perfect with stuffed guinea fowl, accompanied by gratin dauphinois; of course, in ten years’ time, the classic of classics – beef bourguignon – for which we’ll order beef cheeks from the butcher; pig’s cheeks wouldn’t be bad either. To pair with these dishes, the price is six to eight years in the cellar, which will allow the wine to acquire even more depth and to finish integrating the wood, which, by the way, has been superbly selected and will find its true place; when it has done its job, we no longer know where it has got to.

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY ‘s tasting notes – Retailer ; “De Corps et d’Esprit” in Paris

Pale garnet robe, with more light here. A discreet but elegant nose; the sweetness of red and black fruits that are closer to coulis than jam; pretty red and black flowers, including peonies, emblematic of the terroir; delicate chocolate notes, somewhere between ganache and chocolate truffles; blackberries and blueberries; raspberry; crème fraîche with red fruits; raspberry and/or strawberry tartlets; red fruit ice cream with a note of mint; morello cherries.
Palate has a silky mouthfeel; a lot of delicacy and charm in this bottle; generous and expressive fruit; peppery cherry, excited by wonderful acidity; redcurrant; intense pink and black pepper; various varieties of cranberry; notes of blood orange; peppery marmalade; juice; generosity; a living, active wine; the classic bloody note from the terroir; raw red meat. A small note of grey shallots and red onions, which do not hamper the pairings below; beautiful energy; perfect balance.
An intense, tight, extremely precise finish; very ripe tannins; almost imperceptible maturation; leather; it remains sapid; the acidity gives length to this convincing wine. Two years will be enough to bring out the best in a steak tartare; four or five for a rib eye or onglet steak, served rare; seven or eight for roast duck.

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY ‘s tasting notes – Retailer ; “De Corps et d’Esprit” in Paris

Pale garnet robe, with more light here. A discreet but elegant nose; the sweetness of red and black fruits that are closer to coulis than jam; pretty red and black flowers, including peonies, emblematic of the terroir; delicate chocolate notes, somewhere between ganache and chocolate truffles; blackberries and blueberries; raspberry; crème fraîche with red fruits; raspberry and/or strawberry tartlets; red fruit ice cream with a note of mint; morello cherries.
Palate has a silky mouthfeel; a lot of delicacy and charm in this bottle; generous and expressive fruit; peppery cherry, excited by wonderful acidity; redcurrant; intense pink and black pepper; various varieties of cranberry; notes of blood orange; peppery marmalade; juice; generosity; a living, active wine; the classic bloody note from the terroir; raw red meat. A small note of grey shallots and red onions, which do not hamper the pairings below; beautiful energy; perfect balance.
An intense, tight, extremely precise finish; very ripe tannins; almost imperceptible maturation; leather; it remains sapid; the acidity gives length to this convincing wine. Two years will be enough to bring out the best in a steak tartare; four or five for a rib eye or onglet steak, served rare; seven or eight for roast duck.

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY ‘s tasting notes – Retailer ; “De Corps et d’Esprit” in Paris

The robe is similar, although a little denser here. Beautiful depth on the nose – cocoa with chocolate ganache coulis, chocolate truffle, blueberry jam, blackcurrant cream, mocha coffee, warm fine-pastry tart with raspberries and wild strawberries, soot, smoke, beautiful waxed and glossy leather, the distant sweetness of a touch of peony, subtle pink pepper. With prolonged aeration, the floral notes evolve towards rose and violet, giving the aromatic more and more charm.
Juicy mouth, fleshy, gourmet; a lot of fruit – exuberant raspberry, orange and mandarin peel, well-ripened red plums, sour cherry and cherry kernels; green pepper and cooked aromatic plants, mint and peppery verbena, cooked or at least marinated coriander, bark, young rocket shoots.
Juicy, sapid finish; here again, it is on the finish that the minerality emerges to add tension; the leather of Pommard is enhanced and the level of tannins that were imperceptible until now have increased.
Two or three years in the cellar will be enough to complement hunter’s rabbit or guinea fowl with chestnuts; for those in too great a hurry, a lightly seared steak tartare with Dauphinoise potatoes. 92–92+

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY ‘s tasting notes – Retailer ; “De Corps et d’Esprit” in Paris

Yet again, a festival of fruit, blackberry, prune, blackcurrants and very black cherries, a citrus component with a touch of pomegranate and another of very ripe blood orange; beautiful new leather; peonies that are opened but still very fresh, equally opened tulips; a cocoa–chocolate note like that of a strong hot chocolate that has gone cold, a rather intoxicating aroma, smoke, a fire in the hearth, embers.
The palate is a perfect copy of the nose, super fleshy cherry, plum dripping with juice, thick and sappy blackberries, prune compote with cloves and liquorice sticks, oak bark, plenty of substance, supple density, nourishing, pink and black peppercorns, redcurrants.
A full and generous finish, perfectly ripe tannins, opulence, fantastically juicy, could not be more satisfying, already drinkable, which for a Pommard is clearly out of the ordinary and, at the same time, this wine will be good in fifteen years – very few wrinkles will have appeared in all likelihood; this is what is called a very great vintage.
Beef tartare, red meat served blue if drunk now, but later on with roasted beef, gratin Dauphinois and a thousand other things, from guinea fowl to partridge to duck.

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY ‘s tasting notes – Retailer ; “De Corps et d’Esprit” in Paris

A Pommard of unheard-of aromatic tenderness – the 2019 vintage has caused the lines to shift considerably. And we can just imagine being on the slopes of the premiers crus of Savigny, Vergelesses, or even more so, of Serpentières. The delicate sweetness of red fruits, vanilla mixed with strawberry, raspberry, white coffee, cappuccino and Dutch cigarillos transport the taster to these climats; when we probe a little, we end up discovering the characteristics of a Pommard – black cherry, peony, and a chocolate note that might usually evoke bitter cocoa but here it’s more like milk chocolate; and, as for the Pommard leather, it only shows up intermittently – a suggestion of leather that seems ethereal.
The palate shows smooth tannins; there’s a certain spiritual connection with Les Epenots – undoubtedly the most Beaune or Vosne expression of Pommard; coulis of red fruits – strawberries and raspberries – liqueurs and jams of those fruits too; a ferruginous minerality that brings a note of fresh blood, red meat, pigeon blood to the palate.
The finish is perfectly coherent, and finally, there’s classy grace. Will this wine continue to be as open and charming as it is now? If it does, pair with veal paupiettes, rabbit stew, or creamy guinea fowl supreme.

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY ‘s tasting notes – Retailer ; “De Corps et d’Esprit” in Paris

Red and brown fruit on the nose, plum, cherry, morello cherry, damsons, a note of soot, another of burnt leaves, the leather of Pommard even if the village peony is crushed by the fruit, still a hint of Santenots, the light of the vintage benefited everyone. Wild strawberries, strawberry tart or strawberry puff pastry, red fruit coulis. Juicy palate loaded with fruit, plum, cherry, pits, damsons, leather, here we have Pommard’s cocoa note that is absorbed by the fruit. It is ultra nourishing, the tannins are just perfect, as tasty a finish as possible. It is very long, straight, clear expression of the soil, stone, leather, plum, cherry and mixed peppers, especially pink berries. Superb.

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY ‘s tasting notes – Retailer ; “De Corps et d’Esprit” in Paris

A nose of plum, burlat cherry and peony, the classic trio typical of Pommard, add to that a red and black fruit jelly, spices, grey pepper, nutmeg but also coffee beans, brown sugar and a note of floral gum reminiscent of geranium. On the palate it has a fruity juice, sensuality, a relative sweetness, certainly not the tannic and crude Pommard of our grandfathers, easy to drink with a beautiful balance, it reminds me of 1997, 1992 or even 2011 but this has more grace and precision, like for the Burgundy, the spices appear at the finish with white pepper and nutmeg. With a quick swish in the carafe, it can be drunk at 16 degrees, no more, with a nice veal chop and gratin Dauphinois.