2005 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux
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Recent vintages of the 2005 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru have left me not particularly impressed. In this era, the winemaking duties were undertaken by Benjamin Leroux; this magnum was bought by current winemaker Paul Zanetti. I just find it trying much too hard to make an impression. The aromas are bold and in your face, but simply lack Pinoté, while the palate is tannic and ferociously backward with dense tannins. Even after 16 years, it is a rather charmless Pommard and one that I cannot see improving with extended bottle age. Leroux went on to make better Clos des Epeneaux and Zanetti is currently firing on all cylinders (though maybe not this evening, as he had just had his second jab). Tasted at the Sanglier dinner in Hameau de Barberon.
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Neal Martin
Jancis Robinson MW
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The 2005 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux is a rather controversial wine. Benjamin Leroux was not as enthused by the vintage as others. “We went for more extraction to see how far we could go,” he rued, “It is not a wine that I hate. But it is not a wine that I love.” I concur. It has a youthful nose of quite powerful, almost burly black fruit laced with iodine and dried petals, that is nicely focused. The palate is full-bodied and sinewy, with layers of spicy red and black fruit and a dash of white pepper and cloves. Though it offers impressive dimension, it is exactly that – more impressive than pleasurable, and there is a distinct lack of finesse and terroir expression toward the finish. A Clos des Epeneaux showing off? Drink 2015-2025. This tasting was organized by UK importer Howard Ripley Ltd. Ticket was paid in full by The Wine Advocate.
Saturated ruby. Superripe but fresh aromas of black raspberry, licorice and spices, with a hint of more exotic fruits. Sweet but not quite jammy, with very rich and distinctly black fruit flavors complicated by spices and bitter chocolate. A Pommard of compelling depth and verve, with flavors mounting slowly and inexorably to take over the entire palate. Finishes very long, with a boatload of tannins. This is huge in terms of its fruit, tannins, alcohol (14%) and acidity (the pH is just 3.3). Leroux believes that it's even riper than the 1990 version, but notes that this style of wine "is not why I'm working in Burgundy." This should evolve in bottle for at least two decades, but I believe it's already beginning to shut down.