What a transformation by this wine! Okay it was only an en-primeur ‘sample’, but back in early 2003 this had great fruit and a wall of ripe tannin that could almost have fit to a Richebourg – it had so much personality that I simply couldn’t refuse to make an order – it’s amazingly different today:
2001 de Courcel, Pommard 1er Grand Clos des Épenots
Medium, medium-plus ruby-red colour at the core, just fading to salmon at the rim. The nose is a sweet mix of tea, coffee, forest floor and dark plum fruit. Immediate impact in the mouth, but then it smoothly melts across the palate without apparent tannin (how did that happen?) – at the start you have to look very hard to dig out the tannin, though slowly it starts to exert a little grip with faint fut finely grained astringency. The acid balance is lovely and a bitter mocha note follows long into the finish. It’s a wine of real character, young, but with more than a nod to some semi-mature flavours. A really personable individual..
Rebuy – Yes