Comte Armand Pommard Epeneaux 1999

Description

Comte Armand ‘s Pommard Clos des Epéneaux must surely be considered among the great red wines of all Burgundy and 1999 was arguable the best vintage in Burgundy in 25 years! This was made when the winemaking practice preferred ample skin contact therefore this wine has incredible structure to last the decades.

The family of the Comte Armand has owned the vineyard of Clos des Epéneaux and the winery buildings in Pommard since 1826. After phylloxera hit the vineyard wasn ‘t replanted until 1930 and since then it has confirmed its rating as one of Pommard ™s very finest sites. Pascal Marchand made wines here in the 80 ‘s. elevating its reputation. Now the young gun Benjamin Leroux is in charge and is a passionate advocate of biodynamic practices.

94 Pts Allen Meadows Burghound “(from yields of <45 hl/ha where the fruit was macerated for almost 5 weeks. the '99 has a higher percentage of 30+ year old vines than usual as the higher yields allowed more of the younger vine fruit to be allocated to the Pommard and Pommard "1er "). A genuinely brilliant nose that is at once extravagant and highly expressive reflects intensely earthy and spicy aromas that remain completely primary before giving way to opulently rich. round and notably sweet medium full bodied flavors that deliver flat out incredible length on the mocha. velvet and mouth coating finish. Despite the higher than normal yields. this is really quite concentrated. seamless and exquisitely harmonious. In sum. this is a Clos des Epeneaux that should age for years to come. particularly in magnum format. Note that this isn 't quite completely ready but it 's getting close. especially if given 30 to 60 minutes of aeration first. Tasted twice in this format with consistent notes. "