2017 Pommard, Les Rugiens, 1er Cru, Domaine François Buffet, Burgundy

2017 Pommard, Les Rugiens, 1er Cru, Domaine François Buffet, Burgundy

Product: 20171308846
 
2017 Pommard, Les Rugiens, 1er Cru, Domaine François Buffet, Burgundy

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Description

Marco has more than one barrel of his flagship wine for the first time in several years - four to be precise, allowing a diminution of the new wood percentage  to 25 percent. Famously from vines over 100 years  old and, astonishingly, providing over 40hl/ha this year. The wine oozes with the silky texture of oldvine fruit, and there is 25 percent whole-bunch to complement the vineyard's iron-rich contribution. Drink 2025-2031.

As he felt that the tannins were riper than in 2016, Marc-Olivier (Marco) looked for greater extraction just at the start of the fermentation but, other than that, there are no major changes. Marco still uses whole-bunch when he feels it can improve the wine's texture. Harvest started on 5th September and was finished by 15th September. He is another winemaker losing interest in zero-sulphur, feeling that the identity of the terroir can be lost without SO2's guiding hand.

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About this WINE

Domaine Francois Buffet

Domaine Francois Buffet

Domaine François Buffet is a Burgundy family-run domaine, which dates back to 1692, and is currently managed by Marc-Olivier, son of François, though still with help from his parents. The family had a very successful negociant business, under the name Ferdinand Buffet, until the 1930s when fortunes were lost in the great crash. Even so, there is an impressive range of Volnay (Taillepieds, Clos des Chenes, Champans, Carelles, Clos de la Rougeotte) and Pommard (Rugiens, Clos Micot, Poutures) vineyards.

Marc-Olivier uses some whole bunches when he feels the vineyard is suitable, though not for young vines. The wines are matured in barrel over 22 months, with one racking in the summer.

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Pommard

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 Armandde Montille, de Courcel, J-M Boillot

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Pinot Noir

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.

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