Domaine Clos de la Chapelle – Pommard Premier Cru Les Grands Épenots 2016 – Burgundy France

Les Grands Épenots is the premier cru most often argued to deserve grand cru status in Pommard, and it gives the village's structure without its heaviness. In magnum, from the frost-ravaged 2016 vintage — three bottles' worth of a wine there was already very little of.

🍷 At a Glance

• Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
• Appellation: Pommard Premier Cru Les Grands Épenots
• Region: Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
• Vintage: 2016
• Format: Magnum, 1.5 litres
• Producer: Domaine Clos de la Chapelle
• Estate: Around 4 to 5 hectares, nearly all premier or grand cru; roughly 1,500 cases produced a year in total
• Farming: Certified organic, transitioning to biodynamics
• Serving temperature: 15–17°C
• Style: Dry red wine

👃 Tasting Notes & Experience

• Color: Deep ruby
• Nose: Dark red fruit with earth and spice, in the fuller Pommard register
• Palate: Depth combined with lift — the domaine's reds are built for clarity rather than mass
• Structure: Firm, well-defined tannins, concentrated by a very small crop
• Finish: Long and savoury

April 2016 brought a frost that tore through Volnay, Pommard and Beaune, and yields in the affected communes collapsed. What survived tended to be concentrated and finely drawn. Magnums matter here beyond the theatre: the larger format ages more slowly and more evenly, so of the two ways to own this wine, this is the one that will still be improving when the 750s have peaked. Domaine Clos de la Chapelle makes about 1,500 cases across its entire range, so magnums of any single cuvée exist in very small numbers.

❤️ Why We Love It

• Pommard's most highly regarded premier cru, in the format that ages best
• A frost year that left almost nothing to bottle
• Three magnums, from a domaine producing 1,500 cases in total

🍽️ Food Pairing Ideas

• Roast beef, venison and game
• Boeuf bourguignon and slow-braised dishes
• Aged hard cheeses

👤 Who This Wine Is For

✓ Anyone laying down a bottle for a table of six or more, years from now
✓ Collectors who prefer large formats for long ageing
✕ Not ideal if you want something to open on a weeknight