2005 Pommard, Les Pèzerolles, Premier Cru, Domaine Joseph Voillot, Burgundy

Domaine Voillot

Joseph Voillot resides in Volnay but has cellars both in Volnay and Pommard. He now has around 10 hectares of vineyards, including holdings in 10 premier cru sites spread across Volnay, Pommard and Meursault.

Yields from the 25-35 year-old vines are tightly restricted and the grapes are partially de-stemmed before being fermented with a cuvaison of around 9 days. The wines are then matured in oak barriques (20-35% new) for 12-18 months. The wines are bottled unfinned.

These are classically-made Burgundies that benefit from medium-term cellaring, with the best examples rivalling the wines from the grander, better known Côte de Beaune producers.

Pommard

The most powerful red wines of the Côte de Beaune emanate from Pommard, where complex soils with a high proportion of iron-rich clay produce deep-coloured, relatively tannic wines. A Pommard that is ready to drink in its first few years is probably not going to be a great example of the appellation.

• 212 hectares of village Pommard
• 125 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards (28 in all). The finest vineyards include Les Rugiens, Les Epénots (including Clos des Epéneaux) and Pézérolles
• Recommended producers: Comte Armand, de Montille, de Courcel, J-M Boillot

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.