Pommard Clos des Epeneaux, Domaine Comte Armand 2020

The 2020 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru was a blend of two instead of four cuvées this year due to the depleted production. It has a precocious bouquet with black cherries, raspberry, menthol and blood orange scents that gather momentum in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, taut and fresh, lightly spiced with hints of allspice and tangy quince. It displays fine composure towards the finish with impressive length. This is a superb Clos des Epeneaux, though will it surpass the 2019? I’m not sure. Drink 2026-2050.

I tasted first the cuvée from young vines, which did get rather overtaken by the summer conditions, and then the old vines which showed as a brighter wine, in sharper definition. What matters, of course, is the blend. This shows as having a deep dense purple colour, while the bouquet is almost stunned into submission by the power of the wine. There is a huge wealth of dark fruit, as black as it is red. Supercharged on the palate but finishes with a little crunch as good acidity plays alongside the tannins. The Clos des Epeneaux 2020 is still an atypically massive wine but this could well emerge as a quality player with time. 14.5%