Description
Domaine Comte Armand in Pommard has been under the ownership of the same family in an unbroken line since before the French revolution, an extreme rarity in Burgundy. Until 1994 the domaine owned only one vineyard, their famous 13-acre Monopole Clos des Epeneaux – an outstanding 1er Cru in Pommard. The current Comte Armand – Vicomte Gabriel Armand, is a Parisian lawyer who has continued the family tradition of relying on resident-managers, or regisseurs, to conduct all of the domaine’s affairs.
In 1999 they handed the keys to 23 year-old Benjamin Leroux, a promising local winemaking prodigy who has risen to earn a reputation among the world’s best. Ben completed the transition to Biodynamic farming for the estate.
Tasting Notes
The 2018 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru is quite rich on the nose, precocious black cherries, mint and raspberry, rose petal notes emerging with time. The palate is slightly gamey on the entry. Fine depth here, leathery, perhaps a little savoury towards the finish. I was more positive in my review last year, but maybe it’s just beginning to reveal its limitation, or rather, it’s shortcomings vis-à-vis the ’19.[93 Points, Neal Martin – November 2021, vinous.com]
