Tasted with Anne Parent and Catherine Pages-Parent in Pommard, 17 November 2015.
Domaine Anne et Catherine Parent
3 rue de la Métairie
21630 Pommard
Tel: +33 3 80 22 15 08
www.domaine-parent.com
Anne on the 2015 vintage:
“15 there’s almost nothing to say. Magnificent.
“The reds are grandiose. I was worried about the acidity but didn’t need to be. We virtually had nothing to throw away. After three very difficult vintages psychologically it was very important for us. Some vines produced even less than in 2014! Overall we were still minus 40% so it was almost as bad as a hailed vintage. Since 2010 we’ve lost the equivalent of 3 full vintages! I love to sell wine, travel the world and talk about it – so it’s frustrating, discouraging even, that I don’t have much to sell. I don’t know how some people are managing…
“Forget 2015, some people are already reserving 2016, simply because there’s no wine!”
Anne on the 2014 vintage:
“2014 more consistent after the previous vintages – we started on the 15th September. Little dried raisins due to hail were fortunately very easily removed by vibrating table. The wines have nice balance with very pure fruit – maybe a little more concentration than the 2013.
“Like the 2013s, I didn’t extract very much, I reduced the new oak a little and largely decided against whole-clusters. Vinifications were easy, fortunately we didn’t have and volatile rot here in Pommard, though we had a couple of rows in our Ladoix 1er that showed some. We harvested in good conditions. The wines are evolving very well too. It’s not 2012 or 2015 but has good concentration.”
The wines…
Now in the certification phase of biodynamics…
2014 Bourgogne Rouge
A blend of vineyards close to Pommard and Volnay; l’Orme, Carelle & Crenilles. Mainly raised in older 600 litre barrels, this was racked into tank one month ago.
Wide, airy, with a faint whiff of cherry. Theres a support of tannin texture, but hardly grained. From that leaches fresh, bright fruit flavour with a very good fresh intensity. Bright finishing flavour of crunchy fruit too. Yum
2014 Ladoix 1er Cru La Corvée
In the hammeau of Buisson – a south-facing slope next to Clous d’Orge, lots of small limestone stones here. 20% new oak no racking here until bottling.
Fresh, but deeper fruit. Wide, intense, fine textured with intense mid-palate fruit flavour with a deeper, slightly darker, riper register than the Bourgogne. Yet always fresh.
2014 Beaune 1er cru Les Epenottes
One of the largest owners with 1.5 hectares – but it was 90% hailed. The wood of the vines was very damaged, so training took 3 times longer with the care that was needed not to snap the shoots. 35% new oak but only 4 barrels…
Big in the glass – open very floral, this smells super! Fine perfume. Big, structured, intense, ouf! – but palate staining flavour too. This is certainly showing an austere side today, so it’s going to require some extended aging, but 3 years down the line this should be super!
2014 Pommard La Croix Blanche
30% new oak.
Open, forward medium-red, floral-inflected fruit. Mouth-filling, plenty of texture from the tannin, but also a growing weight of dark-red fruit flavour too, flavours that slowly begin to overtake the structure. Not the most overt finishing, but subtly long. Will be tasty wine…
Across from Grands Epenots. Not a very deep soil. 35% new oak
Very detailed and pretty nose, no attack but lots of precision. Ooh – that’s wide, lots of flavour intensity here, more supple, finer texture to the tannin. Detailed, delicate almost, flavours but super engaging. A beauty!
2014 Pommard 1er Cru Chanlins
Next to Volnay, deep soil but lots of (lime) stones, some slope here too, 17 yo vines.
Here is aromatic width, faintly herbed, rather more discreet depth. Supple, nice energy, some padding. The structure rises with the intensity, but never quite overtakes the fruit flavour. Beautiful sweet but fresh crunchy fruit in the mid-palate and onwards into the finish – faintly spiced.
2014 Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnières
This wine, made from 77 year-old vines. This and the two previous are worked by horse
A freshness of aroma but seemingly a little tight. Big, round, involving, good texture too. This is supple and involving – good complexity here. Lovely wine!
An assembly of grands and petits epenots, 40% new oak.
Fresh, a fine width but modest depth of aroma. Medium width, finely textured fresh fruit, a faint salinity to the tannin. Distinguished by the fresh, faintly spiced mid-palate flavour that has real finishing presence. Like all these wines, this has some way to go in the elevage, but this will be really super…
No hail! 100% new oak. Probably not bottled before next may. A mix of 3 coopers…
A depth of dark red fruit of more limited width. Enveloping, round, sumptuously textured and flavoured. Wild, fragrant fruit flavour. Despite the quantity, no worry about oak flavour here. Simply excellent.
Two from 2013:
2013 Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots
Quite tight nose, slowly opening with pretty fresh notes. After the nose, this surprised with its width and intensity. A line, a broad line, of textured flavour. Fine finishing width with a pretty complexity here.
2013 Corton-Renardes
A wide, fine, faintly spiced red fruit. Mouth-filling, a fresher more complex fruit with plenty of tannin but very finely textured, high-toned finishing complexity of fruit almost tending towards a floral expression. Long and satisfying. Yum!
Les Blancs…
2014 Bourgogne Chardobnnay
Purchased grapes from Chalonnaise and some Mâconnais, the fermentation in tanks but then elevage in older barrels. Already in bottle since June.
Wide, with a touch of aromatic minerality. Broad shouldered, mineral, faintly saline, a good width. A nice line of round flavour. Very pretty wine without massive intensity, but plenty of enjoyment…
2014 Meursault
From Limozin but not labelled as such.
Here’s a modest reduction – but a lovely agrume fruit here too. Wide and very tasty in the mouth, good intensity and texture, really a lovely Meursault finish. Finely balanced wine this will be super…
100% new oak. From En Rognets et Corton, sitting above Ladoix, the roots are directly onto the mother rock if you go more than 30cm.
Tight nose. Ooohh… That’s intense, but beautifully textured, a hint of salinity, more than a hint of minerality. Wide, joyous mid-palate and finishing flavour, edged with a hint of finishing tannin. Excellent this vintage!
2013 Corton Blanc
Fresh nose, perhaps a little floral too. Round, some tannin, the flavour intensity really expanding in the mid-palate and into the finish – but here is a deep flavour with rather a line of intensity. Finishes excellently…