Our tasting this month focuses on Pommard where the most powerful red wines of the Côte de Beaune are to be found.  Complex soils with a high proportion of iron-rich clay produce deep-colored, relatively tannic wines.  The wines are not shy, with aromas that are redolent of blackberry, bilberry, or gooseberry, cherry pit, and ripe plum. Often, wild and feline notes develop with age. At full maturity, they tend towards leather, chocolate, and pepper.  A “rich” wine? Certainly.  The best wines need time, and we are fortunate that the wines in this tasting mostly have a couple of decades of bottle age – the vintages run from 1990 to 2005.  Our tasting features three 1er Cru and two village wines.  The detailed list is below.

For comparison and contrast we pour wines from three other communes, two close neighbors, and one a second cousin – all from Louis Jadot’s 1998 vintage.

Volnay, immediately SW of Pommard may be thought of as the polar opposite of Pommard in spite of its proximity.  It yields some of the finest and most elegant red wines of the Côte de Beaune and might be twinned with Chambolle-Musigny in the Côte de Nuits, for the high active chalk content in the soil and comparatively low clay content.  We are pouring the 1998 Volnay, Clos de la Barre, Louis Jadot.

Savigny-Les Beaune is on the NW side of Pommard.  It is a value appellation almost equaling Beaune itself.  Locally dubbed “Theological, Nourishing, & Prophylactic” the wines fall between Pommard & Volnay stylistically.  We are pouring Jadot’s 1888 La Dominode

The second cousin is Morey-St-Denis, lying some 30 km NE of Pommard in the Côte de Nuits.  Morey is sometimes ignored between its two famous neighbors, Chambolle-Musigny and Gevrey-Chambertin, but its wines are of equal class, combining elegance and structure, and usually better value.

We are back for this event at the beautiful and convenient Great Hall at St. Paul’s Bloor Street.  The evening will begin with a short reception where we will pour La Chablisienne Les Vénérables Vieilles Vignes Chablis;  giving you the opportunity to catch up with friends.  We will also be serving Canapes, chosen to complement the wines.

Date, Location & Price & Sign Up

Date:          Wed Feb 22
Time:          6:30 pm – Registration & Reception,   6:45 – Event start
Cost:           $115 members;   $165 non-members,  HST Included
Location:    St. Paul’s Church 227 Bloor St E
Sign-up: here

Please do not drink and drive, there is transit nearby.

List of Wines

Pommard – Henri De Villamont 2005
Pommard 1er Cru, Clos de Verger – Jean-Claude Boisset 2003
Pommard 1er Cru, Pezerolles – Billard-Gonnet 1997
Pommard 1er Cru, La Refène – Dominique Laurent 1996
Pommard, Les Perrières – Dom. Raymond Launay 1990
Morey-St-Denis, Le Clos des Ormes 1er cru – Jadot 1998
Savigny-les-Beaune, La Dominode 1er cru – Jadot 1998
Volnay, Clos de la Barre – Jadot 1998