2008 Pommard Les Grands Epenots 1er Cru

Girardin described 2008 as a "capricious" season, with a cold summer saved at the end. He eliminated a lot of pink grapes (there was more rot in 2007, he said), and the wines have firm tannins and plenty of energy. They're not exceptional but they are classic, he told me, and they should age for a long time. In comparison to the new crop of wines, said Girardin, the 2007s lack a bit of nervosite and are a bit too easy. Girardin told me he did just two pigeages for each wine in 2008, as punching down the cap is "too violent" and the point is to be as simple as possible in vinifying reds. Girardin made a number of small cuvees in 2008 (four or five barrels' worth, or "just enough to vinify") and is now working with a couple of new suppliers (the Chambertin, Vosne-Romanee Suchots and Grands-Echezeaux are new this year). The 2008s were racked before the 2009 harvest following the end of the malolactic fermentations. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)