Pommard 1er Cru “Les Epenots” 2017

"Founded in 1803, Domaine Anne Parent is currently runned by two sisters – Anne Parent and Catherine Fages-Parent, representing the 12th generation and perpetuating a family tradition dating back to the 17th century. It includes around ten hectares producing primarily red Côte de Beaune wines. The Estate offers mostly 1er Crus, particularly in the famous Pommard appellation. The Grands Crus are located in Corton, for the red, as well as a very rare Corton white. The domaine`s philosophy is to produce authentic wines with great delicacy, elegant, distinguished sensual and beautiful aromatic expression. Balance is the key word here. The vineyards are planted in clay-limestone soils sometimes colored red by iron oxide, allowing the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to achieve its full expression. The vineyard`s operations and farming techniques are oriented for organic and biodynamic approach. Alcoholic fermentation begins gently, lasting between 12 and 20 days, depending on the Cry, with stictly controlled temperatures. Then wines are aging in oak barrels (30% to 60% new casks) for 14 to 16 months."

Pinot Noir has very aromatic profile, very fresh acidity and low level of quaite soft tannins. The nature of Pinot Noir wine is its flavors of red berries and cherry (red sour cherries in lighter wines and cooked black cherries in bold examples). This wine matures very exating, developing notes of berry jam, violets, leather, moss and mushrooms.

Pommard produces "masculine" type red wines: powerful, tannic and long-maturing. Their color is almost opaque, dark and deep like a southern night. Clayy red soils give Pommard wines full body and expressiveness. The wines are characterized by aromas of black currant, spices, truffles, musk and animal hair. The character of the wines is not simple, so the experience and talent of the winemaker is of great importance. Pommard wines are rough, but the best producers can tame their aggressive temper.

Burgundy (Bourgogne) can be confusing because of the multiplicity of its appellations - all the small vineyards are divided between multiple producers so it can often be difficult to understand this diversity. However, it is the exact reason why the wines of Burgundy are considered to be the finest in the world. A common topic of discussion, when talking about Burgundy, is the concept of "terroir" - a unique combination of soil and climate conditions that affects the taste of wine in the appellations, making it unique to each village. Winemakers mainly use the capricious Pinot Noir and the classical Chardonnay to create true masterpieces, while Gamay and Aligote are used to make wines of a bit simpler style. Particular attention should be paid to the hierarchy of wines. First there are the regional and village wines, a step higher - the Premier Cru wines and the outstanding Grand Cru - at the top. Due the complex and inconsistent weather that can notably impact wine quality especially in bad harvest years, a very important factor here is the so called millesime - the harvest year of the grapes the particular wine is produced of, because each of these years has its own unique taste. Purchasing Burgundy wines is not easy because there are many details that should be taken into consideration - the class of the vineyard, the assessment of the manufacturer, the age of the vines, the quality of the wine as well as the millesime and, of course, the potential of ageing. The sellers play a big role here - they must be truly passionate about wine and able to offer only the best quality producers with a good reputation. That is exactly the way "Noble Wine" works!