Comte Armand Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 2018

As usual, I sampled the various constituents of the cuvée before tasting a representative blend of the 2018 Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux, and as ever, the whole is superior to the sum of the parts. Wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of raspberries, cherries, peonies, spices, orange rind, cassis, woodsmoke and espresso roast, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, its lively and concentrated core of fruit framed by rich structuring tannins, concluding with a long and sapid finish. This promises to number among the Côte de Beaune's wines of the vintage, and it will be well worth seeking out.

The 2018 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru was tasted from the four component blends and an assemblage. I must say that although I would like to have reported about the obvious difference between parcels of various vine age and soil types, I would describe them more as variations on a theme, the differences more nuanced than I have found in other vintages. The final pre-prepared blend has a delineated bouquet of blackberry, raspberry and cranberry scents, more floral than expected, with pressed rose petals and orange blossom emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins and the 30% new oak extremely well integrated, with savory hints toward the persistent finish. This is just superb. 93-95