Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Epenots 2022 Domaine Justin Girardin

The Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Epenots 2022 from Domaine Justin Girardin is one of the most ambitious and most structured cuvées of the domaine, a Pinot Noir of great stature, from the premier cru unanimously regarded as Pommard's finest terroir, with an aromatic richness and delicacy that surprises those who see Pommard only as a wine of sheer power. The Girardin family, established in Burgundy since 1570, works this exceptional terroir with the same biodynamic philosophy, the same gentle extraction and the same rigour that guide the entire domaine.

The Grands Epenots terroir

The etymology of this lieu-dit tells a story within the story: Epenots comes from the thorny scrub that once covered this Pommard slope before Guillaume d'Argilly acquired it in 1620, cleared it and donated it to the monks of Cîteaux, probably to the abbey of Maizières in Beaune. Situated north-east of the village of Pommard, on the great route of the Grand Crus, immediately bordering the Beaune vineyard, the Grands Epenots are often described by connoisseurs as Pommard's finest terroir, superior to the Rugiens because of its greater aromatic richness and more supple, more delicate character. The soil is rich in argillaceous marls and calcareous gravel, with a steep slope and perfect south-east exposure, lightly tilted. This composition gives the Pinot Noir wines that are at once powerful and of great delicacy, an apparent contradiction that only Pommard's finest terroirs know how to resolve. The vine rows are particularly long, up to 400 metres, which represents considerable work during manual harvesting. Bottling is done on a favourable lunar day, in keeping with the domaine's biodynamic tradition.

Tasting profile

The colour is an intense deep red with garnet hints, luminous and of good density. The nose is immediate in its richness and complexity: intense aromas of blackcurrant, black cherry and bilberry mingle with floral notes of violet and rose petals, lifted by sweet spices, pepper and liquorice, and a subtle hint of damp earth and iron that bears the imprint of the marly, calcareous, ferrugginous terroir. On the palate, the attack is full and fleshy, with concentrated, deep matter carried by well-marked and well-integrated acidity. The tannins are present and of fine stature, yet remarkably silky for a Pommard thanks to gentle extraction, cold pre-fermentation maceration of five to seven days and rare pigeages in favour of frequent pumping-overs. The finish is long, persistent and slightly astringent in its youth, promising fine evolution in cellar over ten to fifteen years. A great Pommard, powerful and delicate at once.

The domaine

The Girardin family has been established in Burgundy since 1570. Justin Girardin, thirteenth generation, took the helm of the 17-hectare family domaine in 2012, from the hands of his father Jacques, brother of the celebrated négociant Vincent Girardin. Armed with experience abroad and in other French wine regions, he returned to Burgundy with a decidedly modern vision: wines closer to terroir, vinified with indigenous yeasts, with gentle extraction and measured ageing in oak barrels with little new wood. He made a resolute choice of biodynamics: work almost exclusively by hand, mass selection, respect of the lunar calendar and bottling on favourable lunar days. On the Grands Epenots, ageing is twelve months in oak barrels with a proportion of new wood adapted to the power of the terroir, followed by time in vat to refine the whole before bottling.

Food and wine pairing

This Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Epenots will pair beautifully with a royal civet of hare, a stew of wild boar with black olives, a grilled côte de bœuf with truffle jus, a rack of lamb with herbs or feathered game such as partridge with cabbage or roasted woodcock. It will also find fine harmony with aged cheeses of character like a well-made Époisses, an old Comté or a strong cheese with real personality. Decanting for at least an hour is strongly recommended in its youth. Served between 15 and 17 °C, it will progressively reveal all the depth, richness and delicacy of one of Pommard's greatest terroirs.