2008 Domaine de Courcel Pommard Les Rugiens 1er Cru

Bark, resin, and leather in the nose of the Courcel 2008 Pommard Rugiens put me in mind of a tannery, and smoky black tea and peat accentuate the wine's aromatic pungency. Ripe black raspberry and licorice inform an impressively viscous and gum-coating palate. To be sure, this is tannic, but not at all stiffly so: its structure is like a supple yet potentially life-saving suit of delicate chain mail rings, and I don't doubt the life of this wine in bottle will be saved for the next two decades. In 2007 and 2008, Yves Confuron steadfastly retained his allegiance to late harvest and long fermentation with whole clusters and stems, and was willing to sort and discard fruit ruthlessly to achieve fine results in both vintages. Confuron - voicing an opinion rare among red Burgundy growers - prefers his 2007s for what he considers their nearly ideal balance, and it's hard to fault that description, even if (like me) you're drawn more to the style of 2008s. He also thinks his 2007s will hold that balance for extended bottle aging, though I am skeptical on that count. it's certainly possible that the 2008s will seize up after bottling, but at the time when I tasted them, their refinement of texture gave the lie to the many critics of vendange entier - particularly in a marginally ripe and rot-challenged vintage - who insist that the inclusion of stems in the fermentor can only add undesirable tannin and bitterness. Malolactic conversion in Confuron's young 2008 vintage wines was spread all the way from April to November, but that didn't bother him, since elevage here typically lasts the better part of two full years, and he was planning to spread the bottling between June or early July and September. (The 2007s were not bottled until August and September, 2009.) Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400

Medium red. Complex, terroir-driven nose combines raspberry, smoky minerality, spices, toast and a hint of jambon fume Spicy and already quite complex, with raspberry and pepper flavors that reminded me of Cote-Rotie. This has very good ripeness and depth for 2008, and the stuffing to buffer its acids and tannins. Finishes long, spicy and sweet, with no hardness.