2010 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru

The top 2010 Red Burgundies are now virtually impossible to find, so it was a real treat to taste these nine gorgeous, reference-point wines together. The goal of this seminar, which I curated at Pebble Beach Food & Wine, was to highlight a number of Burgundy’s finest terroirs ands most representative producers. I was joined on the panel by Master Sommeliers Larry Stone and Alan Murray, and winemaker Rajat Parr. All of the wines showed exceptionally well in what turned out to be a fabulous morning filled with great Burgundy and equally stimulating conversation. For more background on the wines, readers might enjoy this short video I shot just before the tasting. As Burgundy fans know, the 2010 growing season did not get off to a great start. A devastating winter frost killed a number of vines, especially in the low, flat-lying sectors close to the Route Nationale. Poor weather during flowering caused significant issues with coulure and millerandage. Conditions improved markedly during the last few weeks of the season, always the most critical time of the year. The 2010s combine excellent maturity levels from naturally occurring low yields with lively acidity that is the result of a long, cool growing season. Most importantly of all, the wines are highly site-specific. At their best, the 2010s are stunning wines that capture the essence of what makes Burgundy so thrilling. For more on 2010, readers might enjoy taking a look back at my initial thoughts on the vintage and wines.

Comte Armand's Clos des Epeneaux remains one of the most fairly priced wines in the world considering quality that is equal or above that of many wines with much higher pedigrees on paper. Recent bottles of the 2002 and 2003 were stunning.

"Two thousand ten is my style," said Benjamin Leroux. "Acidity, precision, purity. It's not a monster of concentration but the wines have a rare elegance. It's my best vintage yet here, along with the 2002 [Leroux started at Comte Armand in 1999]." Interestingly, Leroux told me that less sorting was required in 2010 than in 2009. "Two thousand nine was a big crop, but we threw out some underripe grapes," he said. "Crop levels in 2010 were down 55% from '09. In 2007, 2008 and 2011, we started out with decent crop levels but lost some quantity along the way. The potential yield in 2010 was small ever since the flowering." Leroux punches down the cap up to three times a day for the Clos des Epeneaux, but just once a day for the estate's other wines. "But there are no rules," he emphasized. The 2010s were racked and assembled after the 2011 harvest, and returned to used barrels. (A Becky Wasserman Selection; importers include Wines Unlimited, New Orleans, LA and Martin-Scott Wines Ltd., Lake Success, NY)