2017 Volnay Village

Having discovered David Rebourgeon’s wines at the Grands Jours earlier this year, I resolved to visit the Pommard domaine for the first time to see how their 2017s are shaping up. Located in the heart of the village, it is a small winery but with surprisingly capacious underground cellars. “We began the harvest at the beginning of September and picked over the following week,” Rebourgeon told me. “The weather had been sunny, so we decided to go ahead. There had been no mildew during the year and the vines seemed well balanced, as we de-leafed in the summer to enhance aeration. We used a vibrating sorting table, though the fruit was healthy and showed no botrytis. So little sorting was needed. We will undertake a 14-month barrel maturation and bottle at the end of the year, using a medium toast and between 20% and 30% new oak.” This is a solid set of 2017s: nothing spectacular, but rather wines that adhere to a fresh and maybe easygoing style of Pommard that will drink sooner than their 2016s. I might pick out their Clos Micault, a lesser-known Premier Cru that shows good potential; likewise their Volnay Les Mitans.