Pommard 2019
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 are the vast vineyards of Pommard, extending out on either side of a monumental coomb. This gives rise to two types of wine: from vines grown on the hill on the Beaune side, and from those originating in the slopes and ‘plunging’ down towards Volnay.
This wine is a blend of two opposite plots: 50 % « En brescul », Beaune side and 50% « la Combotte » Volnay side. - « En Brescul » is located up the hill and very steep slope. This funny name, diminutive of "Straighten-ass" refers to the heavily leaned position of the vine growers working in these steep plots.
« la Combotte » : Located below the "Vaumuriens" at the bottom of the hill, this climate presents a hollow relief . The name refers to the combe.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: "En Brescul" is a steeply sloping plot with mostly calcareous soil. "La Combotte" is in the middle of the hillside on fairly clayey soils.
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 0.8603 ha
Pruning: Guyot system Yield: 37 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 40 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 17 September 2019.
The grapes were handpicked. They were sorted a first time in the vineyard and again on the sorting table when they arrived at the winery.
At the winery: the grapes were 100% destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration lasted a total of 23 days including 4 days of cold maceration (12°C). Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). 1 punching of the cap.
Ageing
Maturation: aged for 16 months with no racking or stirring. 25% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: Oak of French origin toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a subtle, delicate touch of oak were used.
Bottling
Bottling in March 2021, the wine was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity.
Number of bottles: 1,182.
Vintage
A legendary vintages?
According to Grégory Patriat, this second harvest at the Ursulines winery will go down as a legendary vintage just like 1969, 1979, 1999, 2009, and 2019, because the concentration in the wines is very high indeed. Years with drought and low yields are always great vintages in Burgundy. We had some new premier crus come online last year, with three in Chambolle-Musigny, one in Gevrey-Chambertin, and one in Nuits-Saint-Georges; Le Clos des Argillères. Furthermore, we revived our tradition of producing white wines in villages better known for their reds, with a white Fixin.
Ageing potential: From 6 to 10 years.
Tasting notes
The color is garnet red. The very airy nose exudes intense aromas of currants and blueberries as well as chocolate notes. On the palate, this powerful and fleshy wine reveals a nice lingering finish.
