2008 Pommard Les Fremiers

The Courcel 2008 Pommard Fremiers delivers marvelous energy, as well as purity of tart, fresh, ripe black fruits, with nutmeg, cooked ginger, black tea, white pepper, cyanic bitterness of fruit pit, iris, and elder flower all lending complexity. Positively silken in texture though palpably dense, this finishes with vibratory intensity of vividly fresh elderberry, blackberry and cherry; pungent spices; liquid floral perfume; iron filings and crushed stone. Here is an instance of synergy between relatively high acidity and abundant yet fine tannin such as one seldom witnesses in this vintage. Expect at least 15 years of fascination from this formidable yet elegant Pinot that beautifully marries virtues of both Volnay and Pommard, as befits its location. In 2007 and 2008, Yves Confuron steadfastly retained his allegiance to late harvest and long fermentation with whole clusters and stems, and was willing to sort and discard fruit ruthlessly to achieve fine results in both vintages. Confuron - voicing an opinion rare among red Burgundy growers - prefers his 2007s for what he considers their nearly ideal balance, and it's hard to fault that description, even if (like me) you're drawn more to the style of 2008s. He also thinks his 2007s will hold that balance for extended bottle aging, though I am skeptical on that count. it's certainly possible that the 2008s will seize up after bottling, but at the time when I tasted them, their refinement of texture gave the lie to the many critics of vendange entier - particularly in a marginally ripe and rot-challenged vintage - who insist that the inclusion of stems in the fermentor can only add undesirable tannin and bitterness. Malolactic conversion in Confuron's young 2008 vintage wines was spread all the way from April to November, but that didn't bother him, since elevage here typically lasts the better part of two full years, and he was planning to spread the bottling between June or early July and September. (The 2007s were not bottled until August and September, 2009.) Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400

(malo just finished) Good full red. Sweet aromas of black raspberry, cola, underbrush and peppery spices. A step up in energy from the Vaumuriens, with pungent spices and minerality in the middle palate. Finishes with broad, serious tannins, sneaky intensity and good structure and length. (The Pommard Les Croix Noires was about 75% of the way through its malolactic fermentation, and the thoroughly mouthcoating Grand Clos des Epenots, which does not appear to be especially high in acidity in the context of the year, was barely halfway through.)

Blueish crimson. Sweet and fresh and lively and most appealing – to those who like a little sweetness in their burgundy. Very Côte de Beaune. (JR)