2005 Domaine d'Ardhuy Pommard Les Fremiers

Domaine d’Ardhuy was established in Clos des Langres in 1947, when Gabriel d’Ardhuy met a young woman who was the daughter of Burgundy vineyard owners, and they married and started an estate. Today it is run by Mireille d’Ardhuy-Santiard, one of the couple’s seven daughters. Another daughter runs the family’s estate in the Rhone Valley, La Cabotte. Domaine d’Ardhuy owns 105 acres in the Cote de Beaune, including six Grand Cru parcels and 15 Premier Cru parcels. Important parcels include Grand Crus in Corton Charlemagne, Clos de Vougeot and Corton. The Premier Crus are in Puligny, Volnay, Pommard, Beaune, Savigny, Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix and Vosne-Romanee. Clive Coates has written that the domain was “reborn in 2003” when the contract the family had with Chateau Corton-Andre ended, and a new generation began focusing on lower yields and other quality-producing techniques. Today, says Coates, the domain is “’a new star.”

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.