Pommard 1er Cru Clos de la Commaraine Monopol 2019
AC, Domaine de la Commaraine, 750 ml
| Grape variety: | Pinot noir |
| Producer: | Domaine de la Commaraine |
| Origin: | France / Bourgogne / Côte de Beaune |
| Other vintages: |
Description
A true class! Grown on one of the finest terroirs in Burgundy. Clos de la Commaraine is a monopole located in the heart of Pommard. An important terroir with a history dating back to antiquity. This vineyard produced just 20 barrels in the exceptional 2019 vintage. On the nose, the 1er Cru shines with aromas of wild berries, ripe raspberry, orange peel and noble wood. On the palate, it is complex and full-bodied, with juicy acidity and velvety tannins. The use of wood is extremely well controlled, and at the same time it has exciting angles and edges.
Attributes
| Origin: | France / Bourgogne / Côte de Beaune |
| Grape variety: | Pinot noir |
| Ripening potential: | 2 to 12 years |
| Drinking temperature: | 16 to 18 °C |
| Food Pairing: | Goulash, boeuf bourguignon, Roast veal with morel sauce, Rabbit ragout with olives, Roasted lamb gigot |
| Harvest: | hand-picking with simultaneous grape sel |
| Volume: | 13.0 % |
| Note: | Contains sulphites |
Domaine de la Commaraine
The beauty behind the walls of Château Commaraine
The Burgundian municipality of Pommard has a classic, historic ambience with most of the buildings and walled vineyards (clos) intact, exuding a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. The small, romantic village square conveys a slightly exotic feeling to its visitors – an unusual sensation in rural Burgundy indeed!
Clos de la Commaraine, a Monopole Premier Cru just outside the village centre of Pommard is an incredible vineyard waiting to be rediscovered. It is an outstanding estate in every respect, with a beautiful château in the southern part of the vineyard, on the outskirts of the village. The vineyard is owned by Harvard professor Denise Dupré and Mark Nunnelly, a former managing director at the Boston-based investment fund Bain Capital. Also on board is Jean-Luc Vitoux – a French investor and current director of La Commaraine. Now, under the passionate care of the new owners and a brilliant team, it is also well on its way to setting a new benchmark in Pommard. No expense is being spared to tease out the best wine from the terroir of the clos, from the cultivation of the vines to the selection and vinification.
The debut wine 2018 Clos de la Commaraine Monopole from Domaine de la Commaraine is simply stunning. Luxurious, detailed and refined, this is undoubtedly a very special wine. The 2018 harvest marked the next chapter in the life of Burgundy’s landmark Clos de la Commaraine. Situated in the highly regarded Côte-d’Or, the estate comprises 3.75 hectares of Pommard 1er Cru vines grown in a monopole and now cultivated for the production of biodynamic wines. The last wine produced under the label of the single vineyard Commaraine dates back to 2002 – since then the grapes have been sold to Maison Louis Jadot and produced under the Jadot label.
Pinot noir
Blueprint of the terroir
No other variety expresses its terroir as precisely as Pinot noir. It is a sensitive, fragile grape. But when it succeeds, it gives the world some of its very greatest wine plants. It especially excels in Burgundy, where it has been cultivated for at least 700 years. Even in the middle ages, it was considered so precious that it was kept separate from other grapes so as to not diminish its value. The finest examples are delicate and fragrant with aromas of cherries and red berries. With maturity, notes of forest floor, leather and truffles enter as well. An irresistible fruity sweetness still shines through, even after several decades. The Pinot noir does well in cool locations: in Switzerland and in Germany, where it is known as Blauburgunder and Spätburgunder respectively; in Alsace and in South Tyrol, in Oregon, New Zealand and Tasmania. Not least, it yields fantastic champagnes. It is a wonderful culinary companion. With its soft tannins and charming bouquet, it meshes with everything, from Güggeli and cheeses to fried fish.
Côte de Beaune
Côte de Beaune: guarantor of elegance
The city of Beaune is the cultural and economic centre of Burgundy. The prestigious vineyard sites, stretching in a band from Santenay (located about 20 kilometres south of Beaune) to the village of Aloxe-Corton (five kilometres north of Beaune), form the Côte de Beaune. Legendary, uniquely expressive crus originate here. In fact, the most prestigious Chardonnay growths in the world are produced around Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault.
Bourgogne
Burgundy: home of the crus
Burgundy and Bordeaux are France’s most prestigious wine regions. Nonetheless, they are completely distinct in character: while Bordeaux, as the land of the chateaux, enjoys an aristocratic image, Burgundy has retained its rustic agrarian structure. Burgundy stretches for over 200 kilometres, from Dijon in the north to Lyon in the south. In a highly complex jigsaw of the most diverse of terroirs, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir demonstrate the subtle ways in which they embody their sources.
France
France – Philosophy in a bottle
According to French philosophy, wine should be an expression of the soil and climate. They use the word “terroir” to describe this. Terroir makes every wine different, and many especially good. French wine is regarded worldwide as an expression of cultural perfection. The French believe that humans are responsible for the quality of the berries, the vine variety for their character, and nature for the quantity. This philosophy can be expressed succinctly as: “the truth is the vineyard, not the man.”
