A very ‘competent’ wine that needs a little more ‘soul’:
1996 Comte Armand, Pommard 1er Clos des Epenots
Medium-plus colour. A wild and impressive nose at the start; oak, a little blood, interesting width, but slowly the oak becomes a little more dominant and the joy fades. Much more subtle entry than the Lejeune Rugiens, a little more tannin but it’s also more linear and focused. Equally potent in the mid-palate and more obvious length – though some of that is, for sure, oak. More depth, but today also less interest than the Lejeune.
Rebuy – Maybe

I didn’t have much luck wiith the first two villages wines I tasted here and here but here is a very nice wine…
2001 Ponsot, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
Medium cherry-red. The nose is transparent, almost crystaline red fruit of some sweetness that takes about 1 hour from opening to crescendo. Good freshness, lovely intense mid-palate with mouthwatering acidity and a very good length. This has real balance to go with a good, slowly fading length. This was a quickly vanishing bottle.
Rebuy – Yes

unlucky 13 – at least for my taste – I said two similar wines, different producers but similar result. Just see if you can swallow this:
1999 Dominique Laurent, Pommard 1er La Refène
Deep ruby-red, this looks like a 2003. Unusual high-toned, estery aromatics. In the mouth this is much fresher than the Ambroise with a really strong floral dimension to the fruit – hard to believe that this is the same appellation as the other wines. I find it as impressive as I found it off-putting; To be honest I couldn’t drink this as the ‘gag-mechanism’ started working because I found it ‘too chemical’ – to be fair some people really liked this – not rated.
Rebuy – No

Enjoyment tinged with disappointment: Two top wines, if I hadn’t seen the labels I would have enjoyed them very much, but I did – one in retrospect was disappointing:
1999 Clos de Tart
Medium, medium-plus ruby-red core edging to a salmon pink. A nose of minerals edged with soft red fruit and the faintest trace of vanilla. The palate is wide but not fat, plenty of dry and grainy tannin and a real impression of expansion. Very long – again in a mineral rather than fruity sense. A young and impressive wine of quite some potential. Rebuy – Yes
2000 Domaine Leflaive, Chevalier-Montrachet
Not so much full-on oak on the nose as many grand crus from Leflaive, but plenty of toasty bread, tight fruit and eventually higher alcoholic notes. In the mouth my first impression is disappointment; soft, rather unfocused but good acidity. The wine then wakes a little with an impressive burst of complexity on the mid-palate that holds into a long – if rather oak driven – finish. It’s long and has some undoubted complexity but maybe I’ve caught it on a bad day as there’s no real focus or spark. Rebuy – Maybe
Maybe – because it’s a very good wine, but if this bottle is representative, then it’s not as good as it should be!

(getting bored yet?) the first of two premiers of the same name, but wildly different, if still disappointing results:
1999 Ambroise, Pommard 1er La Refène
Medium, medium-plus ruby red with just a little amber at the rim. The nose is spicy from oak that for a while hides the estery-edged fruit. The nose never really improves, remaining relatively diffuse and never bringing any components into focus. The palate is much more interesting; well-covered tannins, warm and ripe red fruit, complex with a medium-plus intensity finish. Let-down by the nose, but good in parts.
Rebuy – No

Wine #11 of my pre-Christmas Pommards is the first that is not from a single lieu-dit. This vintage was a wide-ranging blend of Perrières, Levrière, Croix Blanche and en Chaffaud – just starts to give you some idea of the reach of the bigger négoce.

1999 Bouchard Père et Fils, Pommard
Medium-plus ruby-red. The nose is wide with a black tinge to the fruit and the beginings of a savoury note at its base – the fruit slowly comes more to the fore, becoming sweeter and fresher. In the mouth the fruit is also rather black and has a really nice purity on the mid-palate. This fruit is currently a little over-shadowed by the grainy, slightly astringent and certainly a little rustic tannin – which I feel could be a little riper. Very good persistence for a village. In terms of the complete package, this is a relative bargain in this vintage – still very young. Rebuy – Yes