POMMARD

2021 1er Cru Croix Noires Domaine de Courcel

EN PRIMEUR

Much more to this; spice but it's different to the Bourgogne, very elegant, and not just 'for a Pommard', this is finely wrought and the salinity bounces off the fruit to give a joyful feel and intensity. Drinking range: 2028 - 2038L&S (Oct 2022)

75cl bottles (case of 6)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

An exuberantly spicy nose reflects a plethora of floral nuances on the ripe aromas of essence of plum and dark currant. There is again excellent density to the bigger-bodied and richer flavors that don’t possess the same minerality on the powerful, dusty and built-to-age finale. This could use better depth but the potential for that to occur appears to be present. Drinking range: 2023 - 2031 Rating: 90-93 Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com (Apr 2023)

Bright, high-toned cherry and pomegranate aromas feature prominently on the initial attack here, fleshed out with floral notes and a salty minerality. The texture is fresh and lively, less tannic than the wine from nearby Rugiens. The vines are located just down the slope from this more well-known neighbor. The 0.65-hectare domaine parcel represents more than 50% of the total for the lieu-dit. The grapes are fermented as whole clusters and vigorously punched down before long ageing in cask. Drinking range: 2027 - 2050 Rating: 93 Charles Curtis MW, Decanter.com (Nov 2022)

One of the great domaines of Pommard, with a 400 year history in the same family. The domaine produces a small amount of Bourgogne Chardonnay, a completely over-performing Bourgogne Rouge, a village Pommard (Vaumuriens, 1.44 ha), but the biggest part of the domaine consists of four great Premier Cru expressions of the terroir of Pommard, Fremiers (0.79 ha), Croix Noires (0.58 ha), Grand Clos des Epenots (4.89 ha) and Rugiens (1.07 ha). These represent a very different style to the Clos des Épeneaux of Comte Armand, for example. Yves Confuron, the régisseur, describes the difference between the two top wines by saying that the Grand Clos is 'terreux' while the Rugiens is 'aérien'.

The aim is to limit yields to around 25hl/ha, to attain optimum ripeness. The vines are ploughed, and pruned carefully to suit each one, then de-budded in spring and green-harvested in August to keep the fruit load balanced. Following Yves' usual practice the harvest is late and the vatting is long - usually around a month, with a cold maceration leading into a cool fermentation, and a long post-fermentation soak under the protection of the carbon dioxide given off by the fermentation. The wines are developed in barrel over 21 to 23 months, with a third of the barrels being replaced each year. After racking they are bottled without fining or filtration.

The domaine produces wines with astonishing depth and density that still retain the freshness, just like Yves' own wines at Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot. They are classic vins de garde and patience is advised - and will be amply rewarded.

Available In Bond:
We also have other vintages of de Courcel wines available to buy In Bond from our Fine wine list.

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STORAGE OPTIONS:

Wines bought en primeur are scheduled to arrive in the UK over the course of the next eighteen months. If you do not wish to take home delivery, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our primeurs team for more information.

While helpful, we do not require a firm commitment on delivery destination to process your primeur order at this stage. Our team will be in contact with you when your wines arrive in the UK to confirm the necessary delivery details.

BURGUNDY EN PRIMEUR FAQ

OFFER: All wines are offered subject to availability and final confirmation.

PRICING: All prices are quoted IN BOND ex-VAT, by the case size stated. Please double check that the desired case size does match what is being offered as wines are variously listed in threes, sixes, dozens, halves and larger formats.

DELIVERY - TIMING: This is a primeur offer so the wines are not yet physically available for delivery. They will be shipped to the UK over the next eighteen months. Generally, wines are shipped to your nominated location once the whole order has landed in our London City Bond account. If you require wines to be delivered by a certain date, please advise us at the time of ordering.

DELIVERY - FEES: In bond delivery to an Elephant Storage account (for more information see 'Storage Options' opposite) is free of charge. Transfer of wines to any third-party bond (i.e. not Elephant Storage) will incur an administration charge of £16.50 + VAT for all orders under £1,000. Please indicate if you would like the wine duty paid and a duty & VAT invoice will be raised once all the wines on your order are available for shipment. Once the relevant duty & VAT has been settled, we will ship the wines to your nominated address as per our normal duty paid Delivery Terms.

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