Making good wine in Pommard in 2016 required tenacity, patience and nerves of steel. Burgundy winegrower Pierrick Bouley succeeded admirably as you can see from my reaction in the photo above.
Severe Springtime frosts in 2016 virtually eliminated Pommard’s pinot noir crop. It would have been easy to throw in towel while waiting for better luck in 2017. But Bouley kept at it by working attentively in the vineyards.
In addition, to salvage a fully ripened harvest of the remaining fruit in 2016, growers had to wait and pick late in September. Bouley’s team picked the fruit by hand on September 24th.
At any moment prior to harvest, heavy rains could have ruined the already meager crop. But the fates smiled on growers with fortitude.
“September was characterized by a day or so of intermittent drizzle followed by several days of warm sunshine, ” reported Clives Coates, MW. “It remained cool overnight, an advantage as this discouraged any threat of rot.”
Even so, September’s ample sunshine could only secure quality, not increase quantity. Bouley’s Pommard harvest ended up at a minuscule 12.5 hectoliters per hectare, according to Lyle Fass, Bouley’s direct importer/retailer in the United States. Regulations permit up to 5o hl/h. The meager yield combined with the age of the vines (up to 80 years old) provided a terrific starting point for producing a high quality wine with enticing aromas and concentration. Bouley took full advantage.
The wine’s dark ruby color offers ripe blackberry, raspberry and brown spice notes. On the palate, juicy, pure berry fruit with ample concentration layers with superb freshness and smooth, silky tannins. All together, the wine’s superb balance carries through the lingering, fruity finish.
The wine is at once elegant and delicious. And it dispels the outdated stereotype of Pommard reds as being “rustic” and awkward wines requiring years of cellar aging to come around.
Pierrick Bouley’s 2018 Red Burgundies:
In a happy departure, in 2018 Mother Nature blessed Pommard’s hardworking growers like Pierrick Bouley . The harvest delivered both quality and ample quantities. Sign up for Fass Selections’ newsletter to receive future offerings of Pierrick Bouley’s wines from the 2018 vintage.
Do you have either a favorite bottle from Burgundy’s 2016 vintage or a favorite producer of Pommard wines? Please share your comments below and cheers!