Domaine Nicolas Rossignol – Pommard Premier Cru Les Épenots 2015 – Burgundy France

Six tenths of a hectare in Pommard's greatest climat, split between vines planted in the 1960s and vines planted in 1914. Nicolas Rossignol ferments the two apart — the century-old parcel entirely with whole bunches, the younger fully destemmed — and blends them afterwards.

🍷 At a Glance

• Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
• Appellation: Pommard Premier Cru Les Épenots
• Region: Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
• Vintage: 2015
• Producer: Domaine Nicolas Rossignol
• Holding: 0.60 hectares — 0.20 ha planted in the 1960s, 0.40 ha planted in 1914
• Farming: Lutte raisonnée following biodynamic principles, no synthetic inputs, soils tilled; uncertified
• Vinification: Around two-thirds whole cluster overall — 100% whole bunch on the old vines, complete destemming on the young — with indigenous yeasts and minimal punch-downs
• Ageing: 18 months in barrel, 25% new oak; sulfur used only before bottling
• Serving temperature: 15–17°C
• Style: Dry red wine

👃 Tasting Notes & Experience

• Color: Deep ruby
• Nose: Dark fruit and sweet spice, with the lift whole bunches bring
• Palate: Rich and ripe, but silkier than Pommard's reputation suggests
• Structure: Ripe, well-rounded tannins with the iron-rich grip of the Épenots slope
• Finish: Long, saline and structured

Rossignol is the fifth generation of his family in Volnay, a village so full of Rossignols that the surname barely narrows anything down. He began making wine at twenty at the family estate, worked under Joseph Voillot as a mentor and spent time at Vieux Télégraphe in Châteauneuf, then started his own domaine in 1997 with three hectares inherited from an uncle. In 2002 he changed course completely, in his own phrase moving from extracting to infusing; the pre-fermentation cold soak went in 2003. He bottles almost thirty separate cuvées rather than blending small parcels together, on the theory that making many wines teaches you faster. Épenots is the climat that contains Comte Armand's walled Clos des Épeneaux, and its iron-rich clay gives Pommard its structure; the 1914 vines here carry a Pinot Fin selection good enough that Rossignol uses it as the source for his massal plantings elsewhere.

❤️ Why We Love It

• Vines planted in 1914, fermented whole-bunch and kept separate until blending
• Only 25% new oak, and sulfur only at bottling
• A grower who remade his own style mid-career, and is sharper for it

🍽️ Food Pairing Ideas

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

👤 Who This Wine Is For

✓ Drinkers who want whole-bunch lift on a structured Pommard frame
✓ Anyone who liked the Comte Armand and wants the surrounding climat for comparison
✕ Not ideal if stems and their perfume aren't to your taste