Pommard 1er Cru "Les Argillières" AOC 2019

An open, spicy and fruity Pommard. It opens with freshly crushed wild strawberries in their own juice, cherries and ripe plums, joined by smoke, winter spices and a touch of menthol over a pronounced yet elegant oak.

Les Argillières, also known as en Largillière, lies on the northeastern side of Pommard, where the soil is characterized by a strong presence of clay over limestone. Domaine Lejeune farms 1.4 hectares there. Its headquarters on the church square date back to the buildings of the Confrérie du Saint Sacrement, while the estate itself was founded in 1783; since 2023, Louis de Belleroche has run the estate's 8.7 hectares.

100% Pinot Noir. Each vat was filled with around 30% whole clusters, which were foot-trodden to release enough juice to trigger spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts. This semi-carbonic phase lasts five to seven days, with the full fermentation taking around three weeks. This is followed by ageing in wooden barrels with around 30% new oak, light sulfiting before bottling, with neither filtration nor fining.

Plenty of cherry: black cherries and sour cherries with a hint of marzipan meet cinnamon plums, a little chocolate and tobacco. The structure is excellent, the acidity lively, the tannin silky. With air, the wine becomes fuller and more precise. There's no need to wait, as it has a 15-year ageing potential.

With salt-crust braised beetroot, glazed radicchio, mashed potatoes and vanilla foam, with strips of lukewarm roast beef with red cabbage salad and mole, or with briefly grilled tuna with balsamic and blood orange foam on baked potatoes.

The estate has been organic-certified since 2021; only sulfur and copper are used in the vineyard, and some plots are ploughed with horses. Fermentation takes place in Burgundy's oldest open wooden vat, held together by 17 white birch hoops.