2014 Pommard Les Frémiers 1er Cru

The grapes in 2014 were rich in polyphenols but not in sugars, said Yves Confuron, as the rainfall in August "de-blocked" the tannin polyphenols. Always a very late picker, Confuron started on September 22, with potential alcohol levels between 12. 5% and 13%, but he still chaptalized a bit to prolong the fermentations.

The estate made barely ten hectoliters per hectare due to the hailstorm at the end of June, and Confuron described the wines as "full, fresh and precise, with the wines higher up in the hierarchy showing greater tenderness." He noted that many estates were bottling their 2014s very quickly, and that these "Pinots Nouveaux" would show little in the way of terroir. A couple of Courcel's 2014s were at the tail end of their secondary fermentations and were a bit dry on the finish owing to the remaining malic acidity, but their ripeness and intensity were already apparent--and particularly impressive in the context of the vintage.