Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 2005 – Elitistreview at 20

Greetings! This is the sixth report on a wine from the Elitistreview 20^th anniversary lunch, namely Pommard Premier Cru Clos des Epeneaux 2005 from Comte Armand.

This wine is very famous and highly regarded, but I have not had any in years due to the price going crazy. I was used to prices like the jeroboam of 1999 I bought for my 50^th birthday for the grand price of £69! Alas, that got stolen along with the rest of my priceless collection of Burgundy.

So keen was the price of Clos des Epeneaux that I recommended it as a bargain Burgundy in March 2006. Not anymore, oooohhhh noooooo!

I visited Comte Armand in 2006; hell’s bells I had a good time. I was very pleased to meet the great winemaker Benjamin Leroux. He now makes excellent Burgundy under his own name. Trying the 2001 (again, I had first tried it the preceding February) was a real treat – it is one of my favourite Burgundies of all time.

I also adored the 2002, that I had as a member of my star-studded collection of 2002 Pommard Premier Crus. All stolen. Even the Vacheron Sancerre rouge. You can read mytear-stained report on our wine being stolen here.

Let us drink a beloved taste from my past!

Pommard Premier Cru Clos des Epeneaux 2005, Comte Armand

I always think of Clos des Epeneaux as having something of a Nuits-character to it, and indeed, with the bright strawberry and redcurrant fruit there is a hint of leafiness.

However, I am disappointed to report that the aromas on the nose seemed a little faded – not the power and intensity I would expect from a ripe vintage of Clos des Epeneaix. Could it be that this wine is beginning to get over the hill? I am surprised, but that is very much what it seems like to me.

There is good fruit, and an earthy complexity to it, though, so it is not unpleasant or totally gone. Just a little past its best, I think.

The palate has good fruit on the entry, balanced with a fine line of acidity. It is not quite the explosive hedonism I would expect from a 2005.

Indeed, as one swirls this around one’s palate it, there is a distinct dryness to it that confirms my view that this is on its way out.

I get the impression that if we had drunk this for the fifteenth anniversary of Elitistreview, it would have been a different kettle of fish, this is only just starting to fade. Alas, after the gustatory fireworks of the Clos des Ruchottes, this is a bit of a hard landing back to earth.

Ah well, not everything can be perfect, still interesting to try.