2005 Pommard

Coming entirely from steep hillsides – Chanlins (above Rugiens); Vignots and Chaniere (west of the village) – Pacalet’s 2005 Pommard is simply as exciting a village Pommard as (indeed one of the very few exciting) I have ever tasted. He says these are the first Pinot vines he harvests (“generally right after our Meursault”) because Pommard is inherently early-maturing and less forgiving in its window of opportunity. “The result,” he asserts, “is something more ‘southern’ and more rustic in the bottle.” Rosewood, cinnamon, plum, and black cherry aromas lead to a palate that is indeed gritty in texture when compared with Pacalet’s Gevrey, its black fruits liberally laced with brown spices, cocoa powder, and peaty, smoky, practically Islay-like “terroir”. Dense without being at all weighty, highly ripe in flavor but without any alcoholic heat, abundantly tannic yet persistently juicy, this wine’s texture and flavors may well refine even over the short term. Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334 8191