2005 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru

Rot was not a big problem at this domain in 2006, said winemaker Benjamin Leroux, as the vines here are not vigorous. July was very hot, "like 2003," and the estate did not do much plowing in the vineyards. The weeds then grew in the rain in August, and the cover crop absorbed a good bit of the excess moisture and kept the grapes from growing too large. Vines in Volnay and Auxey-Duresses avoided botrytis especially well, said Leroux, but he described the level of ripeness in 2006 as uneven, with a big gap between the village vines and the crus. "There were still a lot of pink berries at the beginning of September," he said, adding that, thanks to biodynamic farming practices, there was ultimately very good skin ripeness in 2006. Leroux applied "Preparation 501" to his vines three times before the harvest. This biodynamic solution based on silica helps the vines get rid of their water through "sweating" and aids photosynthesis. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Wines Unlimited, New Orleans, LA and Martin-Scott Wines. Ltd., Lake Success, NY)

Benjamin Leroux, who took over winemaking duties in 1999 when Pascal Marchand left to work for the negociant Boisset, told me that 1999 "could be better than 2005 when yields were held to 40 hl/ha or less." But that was the exception to the rule in the earlier vintage, and my November look at the 2005s here suggest that the Clos des Epeneaux will be one of the best Cote de Beaune wines of the vintage. Leroux aims for 35 hectoliters per hectare, leaving an average of five and a half bunches per vine, and that's the yield he achieved in '05. He described the raw materials as "the best fruit we ever picked," as a north wind in the period before the harvest brought more regular ripeness. He destems completely ("the stem is not part of the fruit; it would introduce another element"), carries out a five-day pre-fermentation cool maceration, and in 2005 did what he described as "a normal extraction." He employs a long post-fermentation maceration, keeping the temperature around 28oC, "to build structure," and bottles during the second spring. Leroux told me that he acidified only in 2003, and that that was a mistake, as it "destroyed the structure of the wine." I tasted the various components of the domain's flagship wine, and then an approximation of the final blend. It's likely to be one of the top Cote de Beaune wines of the vintage. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Wines Unlimited, New Orleans, LA; and Vinalia Imports, Camarillo, CA)