2001 Domaine De Courcel Pommard Les Fremiers

Domaine de Courcel is in Pommard. Founded more than 400 years ago, the 23-acre estate is still owned by the de Courcel family. The winemaker is Yves Confuron, who comes from a respected wine producing family in Vosne-Romanee. It has Premier Cru parcels in Les Croix Noires, Les Fremiers, Les Rugiens and it has a monopole in Le Grand Clos des Epenots. There are also red and white village wines.

Pommard is a relatively large appellation of 1,655 vineyard acres just a few miles south of Beaune. Though it has no Grands Crus, Pommard’s 28 Premiers Crus are generally well regarded. The appellation produces only red wine, and wine writers often note that despite Pommard’s proximity to both Beaune and Volnay, its wines are very different from the Pinot Noirs produced in neighboring appellations. Robert M. Parker Jr. wrote that “The top Pommards are full-bodied, chunky, muscular, fleshy wines that impress one more for their power and expansive, mouth filling texture than for pure finesse.” The most famous Premiers Crus are Les Epenots and Les Rugiens.

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.