Pommard
1er Cru Les Arvelets 2020
The little village of Pommard is jealously guarded by its vineyards, on the flanks of the slope.
The fame of the nectar produced here goes back centuries: for indeed, as long ago as the Middle Ages,
the wines of Pommard were being shipped to the Popes of Avignon…
Origin
Between Beaune and Volnay extends the vast vineyard of Pommard which unfolds on each side of a monumental combe.
The plot "Les Arvelets" is located at the exit of this valley on the north slope. Exposed south with a clay-limestone soil rich in iron oxide covered with alluvium and silt, this premier cru is the steepest of the appellation.
The Latin roots of the word "arvelet" refer to the presence of old fields, plowing land at this location.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: clay-limestone rich in iron oxide.
Orientation: South
Surface area under vine: 0.5473 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 35 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 46 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 26 August 2020.
The grapes were handpicked. First sorting in the vineyard, second on the sorting table upon receipt of the harvest.
At the winery: 100% of grapes were destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration lasted a total of 25 days including 5 days of cold maceration (12°C). Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). 2 punchings of the cap.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 14 months with no racking using a proportion of 47% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time for very delicate oaking.
Bottling
Bottling: the wine was not fined but was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity in December 2021.
Number of bottles: 2,584.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes.
'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: 7 years and more.
Awards
JamesSuckling.com - 95/100
Bourgogne Aujourd'hui Magazine - 14.5/20
Tasting notes
The color is dark red. The very intense nose exhales aromas of ripe black fruits, cherry pits, with some smoky notes. On the palate, this wine presents a nice freshness on this hot vintage, but also a lot of finesse with some structuring tannins on the finish.
