2009 Pommard Grands Epenots
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Tasting notes
Discreet wood is almost lost on the densely fruited, closed and brooding nose of ripe red berry fruit liqueur, warm earth and anise. There is excellent freshness and verve to the big-bodied and concentrated flavors that despite the impressive size and weight are shaped by compact but refined tannins on the explosively long finish. This exceptionally promising effort is beautifully well-balanced and unapologetically built for the long-term.
Critic scores
Average Score
Allen Meadows, Burghound
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Medium red. Musky redcurrant, strawberry, dried plum and woodsmoke on the nose. Supple red fruit and spice flavors display a liqueur-like thickness of fruit and a pliant texture. Not quite as impressively on the slightly edgy, moderately persistent back end. (Gaunoux releases his wines later than most, and 2009 is the most recent vintage in the U.S. market. Unfortunately, my bottle of the 2009 Rugiens Les Rugiens was corked and the 2001 Rugiens, also currently in the marketplace(!), was tired and losing its fruit.)
About the producer
Domaine Michel Gaunoux is today run by Michel’s grandchildren, Anne and Alexandre, with a guiding hand from their mother. Everything here is extremely traditional, and the family has been quietly making rich, complex and age-worthy Pommard and Corton for over half a century.