Pommard 1er Cru Les Argillières 2022

This Pommard 1er Cru Les Argillières comes from a climat in the Côte de Beaune, in the village of Pommard, whose name evokes the presence of clay in the subsoil. Domaine Parent, a family of winegrowers established in Pommard for nearly thirteen generations, grows Pinot Noir there on clay-limestone soils. Certified organic since 2013, the estate farms its vines using biodynamic methods, with partial ploughing by horse on the premiers crus.

The harvest is done by hand, followed by sorting on two tables, one of them vibrating. Depending on the vintage, the grapes are destemmed or vinified with a proportion of whole bunches, after three to five days of cold maceration. Fermentation, at controlled temperature, is accompanied by gentle punching down and pumping over, for a maceration period of 16 to 18 days. Ageing lasts 14 to 16 months in French oak barrels, 35 to 40% of them new.

This wine reveals notes of cherry, plum, morello cherry, raspberry, peony, cinnamon, clove, pepper and blond tobacco. Delicate and full of finesse, it offers a harmonious aromatic expression between spices and stone fruit. The palate, smooth and delicious, rests on supple, fine tannins that make this premier cru a wine full of charm and seduction.

The cradle of wine culture in Western Europe, France owes its first vines to the Greeks of Phocaea, who settled around Marseille some twenty-six centuries ago, before the Romans spread viticulture along the Rhône and the Garonne and as far as Champagne. In the Middle Ages, Cistercian and Benedictine monks cleared the slopes of Burgundy and patiently mapped out the climats, laying the foundations of the notion of terroir. The 19th century brought the glory of the classifications, then the disaster of phylloxera, which wiped out the vineyards before they were rebuilt on American rootstocks; the creation of the appellations d'origine contrôlée in the 1930s then set the rules that would inspire the whole world. Today, France vies every year with Italy and Spain for first place in world production by volume and remains the ultimate benchmark of the Old World, as much for its age-worthy wines as for its winemaking models. Vineyards cover almost the entire country, from the cool north of Champagne and Alsace to the Mediterranean shores of Languedoc and Provence, by way of the oceanic climates of Bordeaux, the Loire and the South-West, continental Burgundy, the steep slopes of the northern Rhône and the high-altitude valleys of Savoie and the Jura. This mosaic of soils – limestone, schist, gravel or rounded pebbles – explains the extraordinary diversity of styles. As for grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate Bordeaux and produce structured reds, Pinot Noir is the signature of Burgundian finesse, Syrah of the depth of the Rhône, while Grenache, Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Mourvèdre cover every register, from easy-drinking wines to wines for long ageing. Among the whites, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin, Riesling and Viognier offer expressions ranging from lively and mineral to unctuous, all the way to great sweet wines. A land of benchmarks and constant discoveries, France remains the compass for wine lovers the world over.