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 Auxey premier cru shows a better ripeness than the village-level wine. The colour is still fairly deep, but the fruit character is more mulberry than pomegranate, and there are notes of spice and smoke. There is appreciably more density here, with firm tannins and fresh acidity but nothing astringent or tart. This wine is a blend of Bretérins and Bas de Duresses; the grapes were destemmed 100% and given a cold soak prior to a brief fermentation and a post-fermentation maceration prior to ageing in cask.[90 Points, Charles Curtis – November 2022, decanter.com]
