Clos des Epeneaux survey, part II

Part I: https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=51126

• NV Champagne Suenen Champagne Grand Cru Oiry Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 88 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  2018 base, disgorged November 2021, 3 g/L dosage. I suspect the ripeness of the vintage give this a roundness that it wouldn't otherwise have. There's a pleasant, racy acidity here, but I do wish there was a little more overall weight on the palate.

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• 2012 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru

  From magnum (of course). A whiff of light red fruit at first, but the palate felt dull. This picked up with air, showing quite some stern structure and relatively coarse tannins. Feels somewhat thinning on the palate as well; not convinced this is a particularly strong showing of this bottle. Perhaps more time would allow the structure to soften up? In any case, I won't be opening any of my bottles for at least another five years.

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• 2010 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru

  I was really hyped about this wine, expecting that the great vintage would yield a fantastic edition, but we never really got there. The nose was very 2010, with light red fruit and plenty of the expected elegance. On the palate, the acidity felt shrill and angular, and this never really rounded out over the course of the evening. Even at the end, the acidity felt out of balance. This didn't have quite the same weight and backwards structure that so many of the other vintages did either. A bit of an oddball in the context of this bottling.

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• 2009 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru

  Ripe, fleshy, and opulent, and in great balance with the structure here. I thought this was showing very well and in line with my expectations. The fruit is definitely a bit sweeter, but it doesn't show any roasted/overripe elements. A mix of black and red, with lots of tannic structure to go along with it. Undoubtedly this will be a long-lived edition.

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• 2005 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru

  Surprisingly, a decent 2005 (which honestly is few and far between, and I'll throw in my editorial comment that it is one seriously charmless vintage very much like 1986 Bordeaux). This is actually quite close in profile to the 2009, but the fruit is darker and feels more subdued. Almost a leathery tannic note here, with plenty of grainy tannin that still needs to be resolved. Probably the wine with the longest-lived potential tonight, and that's because there's enough fruit here.

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• 2002 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux Flawed

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru

  Likely slightly heat-damaged. The nose shows some of the lovely red fruit of the vintage, but there's a muddied, brown element on the palate that never really went away even as the evening went on.

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• 2000 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru

  Probably the best of the bunch tonight. The 2000 red Burgundies have been drinking very well for a few years now and don't really show many signs of fading, and this bottle was very much in that same vein. Almost fully resolved with a silky tannic finish, this is showing lots of secondary characteristics with a modest autumnal touch. The fruit is still fresh and shows no signs of browning or drying out.

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