2011 Pommard, Clos des Epeneaux, 1er Cru, Comte Armand, Burgundy
Critics reviews
It is still a fine bright red but moving towards the first stage of maturity. There is considerable elegance to this, though you can see the bone structure beneath. Nothing is green. In a year, it is sometimes affected by pyrazines, though the acidity remains nicely present. Long and fine.
Jasper Morris MW, InsideBurgundy.com (October 2018)
The 5+ ha Clos is composed of approximately 80% Petits Epenots and 20% Grands Epenots; the vines range from 18 to 75+ years of age. As is typically the case here, the 2011 Clos des Epeneaux was segregated into several different cuvées based on vineyard location and then blended in varying proportions.
This is really quite expressive for a young Clos des Epeneaux with its relatively refined and pure nose of red currant, dried flowers, iron-inflected earth, and soft spice scents. There is good power and plenty of punch to the broad-shouldered and muscular medium-bodied flavours shaped by relatively fine-grained tannins on the perfectly balanced and highly persistent finish that displays moderate austerity. This is really very impressive and will need at least 10 to 12 years to be at its best.
Drink from 2021 onward
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (April 2014)
Tasted at Flint Wines Burgundy 2011 tasting.
The 2011 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru from Comte Armand has an exquisite bouquet with refined red cherry, crushed strawberry, undergrowth and mineral scents that gather momentum with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, crisp and focused with a silver bead of acidity threaded through the energetic red and black fruit. The structure exerts a gentle grip towards the finish, and the length is reassuringly persistent. It’s not the best Clos des Epeneaux I have tasted, but it’s certainly commendable.
Drink 2021 - 2040
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (May 2019)
Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune.
The Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux offers a pleasant marine influence on the nose with touches of iodine and seaweed infusing the dark black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm but not austere tannins. There is good density here, the best balanced Pommard of the flight, and the finish shows fine delineation, structure and typicity. This is the most complete wine of the flight, although winemaker Benjamin Leroux crafted a superior wine in 2012.
Drink 2016 - 2030
Wine Advocate (November 2014)
The richness of the fruit puts up more of a battle against the tannins here. But it is still very hard work on the finish. There is energy here but little acknowledgment of 2011's special qualities and challenges! Best wait and see...?
Drink 2020 - 2030
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (February 2013)
About this WINE
Domaine Comte Armand
Owned by the family of the Comte Armand since 1825, Clos des Epeneaux is among Pommard’s most revered vineyards. Post-phylloxera, it wasn’t replanted until 1930. Further vineyards were acquired in ’94: Auxey-Duresses, Auxey-Duresses Premier Cru, Volnay and Volnay’s Frémiets.
The modern era effectively began with Pascal Marchand, who was succeeded as winemaker by Benjamin Leroux. When Ben left in 2014 to focus on his own business, Paul Zinetti took the reins.
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.
Two vineyards stand out: the lower part of Les Rugiens, which has been mooted for promotion to Grand Cru status, and the five-hectare, walled Clos des Epéneaux, monopoly of Comte Armand.- 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.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Volumes at Domaine du Comte Armand were broadly similar to 2010 in 2011 but will be catastrophically low in 2012 as Pommard was one of the hardest-hit villages with the poor weather. We must, therefore, take advantage of Benjamin Leroux’s brilliant range of wines made available this year, from the supposedly lowly Aligoté upwards. Look out for the potential of the fabulous Clos des Epeneaux, which Ben has harnessed to a quality level rarely seen before.
Tasting note
This is a brilliant wine with a mix of vibrant red and deeper black fruit notes. Dancing concentrated fruit covers the acidity and tannins sublimely well. This is a Pommard of exceptional energy and harmony.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
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