2022 Pommard Les Perrières

“It was better than 2021!” winemaker and former jet-pilot (you always have to mention that because, unless you bump into Tom Cruise down the supermarket, you don’t get to say it often) Xavier Horiot tells me at this bijou winery in Pommard. “I expected more wine after the frost in 2021, and the volumes are lower than in 2023. The yield is around 33hL/ha up to a maximum of 40hL/ha. I picked from August 26, and over three days as there are only 3.95 hectares. It doesn’t take long. Also, I always use a large number of pickers, 27 in total. The vinification was pleasant compared to 2021 - it was easier to extract as there was lower malic acid. But it’s never straightforward, as I’m a beginner, and it was actually harder in 2023. The reds are all de-stemmed. I use small cases during harvest, so the berries can remain whole; that can give the impression of there being some whole bunches. The 2022 vintage is the first one where I have used Tonnellerie Damy for the Grand Crus. Then, in later vintages, I can trial them as one-year-old barrels. The homogeneity of the harvest due to the flowering and the subsequent weather made everything easier.” After a strong showing at the blind Burgfest tasting, I made Horiot’s wine one of my port-of-calls and am glad I did. These are wonderful, expressive, very pure wines at the heart of which lie impressive Pommards from Clos Blanc and Les Rugiens-Bas. The Grand Crus would also give some bigger names a run for their money.