Domaine Y. Clerget, Pommard Premier Cru, Les Rugiens, Burgundy

An introduction to Domaine Y. Clerget, Pommard Premier Cru, Les Rugiens, Burgundy

The Domaine Yvon Clerget holdings in the Pommard Premier Cru Les Rugiens vineyard extend over 0.85 hectares. The Les Rugiens vineyard is one of the more expressive of the Premier Cru Pommard sites, with distinct geological differences between its northern and southern components. The Clerget holdings here are split between two parcels of different ages that are blended prior to bottling to assemble a wine that is a composite expression of this famous terroir, offering plush fruit notes and a full, generous mouthfeel.

Performance

Understanding Domaine Y. Clerget, Pommard Premier Cru, Les Rugiens, Burgundy

The vines that comprise the Les Rugiens cuvée by Domaine Yvon Clerget are divided over two parcels. One is larger with an average vine age of 84 years, and the other smaller plot is planted with 20-year-old vines. The two are vinified separately and blended prior to bottling. The grapes are hand-picked and typically destemmed into neutral wooden vats for fermentation with native yeast (though some 30% stems might be used in the fermentation for the wine from younger vines). Extraction is managed with careful pump-overs conducted twice daily. After gentle pressing, the wine is racked to French oak barrels for maturation, of which 30% are new for the old vine segment and 20% new for the younger vines. The assembled wine is an effusive example of Premier Cru Pommard, offering generous red fruit character and soft tannins that promote an enduring and satisfying finish. One for the cellar, this will improve gracefully with a decade or more of ageing in bottle.

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