2002 Potinet-Ampeau Pommard Les Pézerolles

Domaine Potinet-Ampeau is in Monthélie, a tiny town a few minutes drive west of Volnay. Vincent Durrieu is the fifth generation of his family to run the domaine. His grandparents were among the first winemakers in Burgundy to export to the U.S. Durrieu’s grandparents also started the practice of holding back “vins de garde” so that the domaine always has older vintages on offer. Potinet-Ampeau has long had a reputation for making wines for the long haul, meaning that they rest a relatively long time in the domaine’s extremely well-maintained cellar before release. The family owns 21.5 acres of Premier Cru and village vineyards in red and white appellations in Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Auxey-Duresses, Volnay, Pommard and Monthélie. The vineyards are farmed organically.

Les Pezerolles is a 15-acre Premier Cru vineyard in the Pommard appellation of Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. Since there are no Grand Crus in Pommard, the Premier Crus have special importance. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “Pommard at its best is the fullest wine made in the Cote de Beaune.”

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.