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Domaine François Gaunoux, Pommard 1er Cru, “Les Rugiens”

Burgundy, France 2010 (750mL)
$110.00
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Domaine François Gaunoux, Pommard 1er Cru, “Les Rugiens”

I’ve spent a lot of time raving about the 2014 vintage for red Burgundy: It really is the gift that keeps on giving, and while most critics tend to heap praise on bigger, earlier-drinking vintages, the classical proportions—the pitch-perfect balance, in the best cases—of 2014 are what have kept me coming back.
Today’s Pommard from Domaine François Gaunoux hails from one of the village’s top sites—the acclaimed Premier Cru “Les Rugiens”—and it isn’t merely another elegantly structured validation of the vintage but a powerful reminder of why many experts believe Les Rugiens should be elevated to Grand Cru status. The combination of structure, mineral depth, and perfumed refinement in Claudine Gaunoux’s ’14 states the case for “Les Rugiens,” and Pommard, very eloquently. Her family’s wines, despite the living-legend status of her octogenarian father, François, still tend to fly under the radar in our market—and the quantities that trickle in are rather small, since they are small to begin with. All of which prompts me to marvel at the price, which is beyond reasonable for a wine of this pedigree. We’re only sending this offer to our most faithful Burgundy buyers today, with a per-person limit of six bottles and an important caveat: ‘investment-grade’ Burgundy need not cost three figures!
The Gaunoux property is based in Meursault, but, in terms of their overall lineup, Pommard is the headliner: they bottle four different wines from the appellation, including bottlings from the village’s three top sites: “Rugiens,” “Epenots,” and “Les Grands Epenots,” all Premier Crus that are thought by many to deserve higher rankings. As in the case of Epenots, Rugiens is known for having a high percentage of iron in its soils over a limestone bedrock, giving its wines a slightly deeper color and a distinctive muscularity. Its exposition is south moving to southeast, allowing vines to stay sun-drenched for most of the day, and the Gaunoux family asserts that Rugiens bottlings from the ’70s and ’80s are still showing well today.

 In fact, one of the unique features of the Gaunoux property is its relatively deep library of back vintages, the oldest of which came with François when he and his brother, Michel, divided up the assets of their father’s Domaine Henri Gaunoux way back in 1950 (for an in-depth look at this under-the-radar domaine, check out this recent Forbes article). We offered a ’99 Epenots recently that was in perfect condition, and as I assess this 2014 I have no doubts about its potential longevity—this is real-deal Burgundy combining power and elegance in the most attractive way!

And what is perhaps most fascinating of all is that Claudine Gaunoux has opted to raise her red wines only in tank, usually for 2-3 years before bottling—and they don’t miss the oak one bit. There’s plenty of mineral structure and spice to complement the dark-robed fruit, and when it comes to site expression, I can’t think of anything purer! In the glass, it’s a deep ruby moving to garnet and pink at the rim, with aromas of black and red cherry, currant, wild raspberry, damp mushroom, underbrush, licorice, blue and purple flowers, and crushed stones. It shows great density and focus without feeling heavy: At the moment, it is firm and upright and in need of about 30-45 minutes in a decanter to really reveal itself, but once it does it is exceedingly pleasant to drink now. Serve it at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems with some well-charred grilled veal chops this summer, and set aside the remaining bottles for a 10- to 15-year slumber. Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Burgundy
Sub-Region
FranceCôte de Beaune
Soil
Clay & Limestone
Farming
Lutte Raisonnée
Blend
Pinot Noir 100%
Alcohol
13.5
OAK
Used and New French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now-2030
Decanting
30-45 Minutes
Pairing
Grilled Veal Chops w/ Rosemary

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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