Pommard 1er Cru "Les Argillières" AOC 2020

The Pommard 1er Cru "Les Argillières" 2020 is a high-toned, agile Pinot Noir with vibrant acidity and the earthiness characteristic of Pommard. The nose opens slightly smoky and reductive, then reveals a piquant mix of red and dark fruit, cherry jam, undergrowth, mint, yeasted bread and fine wood.

Les Argillières, also known as en Largillière, lies on the north-eastern side of the village of Pommard and is shaped by abundant clay over limestone. Domaine Lejeune farms 1.4 hectares of Premier Cru there, and the wine reflects the site with mineral precision.

Pure Pinot Noir. Each vat is filled to around 30 percent with whole clusters, which are foot-trodden until enough juice is released to start alcoholic fermentation; the intact clusters sit on top. This semi-carbonic phase lasts five to seven days, with the full fermentation using natural yeasts from the cellar and grape skins taking around three weeks. Ageing then follows in wooden barrels with around 30 percent new oak, lightly sulphured before bottling, neither filtered nor fined.

Juicy, dark-fruited and compact, with cinnamon cherries, sweet and sour cherries, dark chocolate, tobacco and spice. The vintage brings warmth and richness, captured by a silky, clear acidity. The tannin is ripe and pronounced and may still soften on the finish; the wine has the time for that, and the potential is there.

Salt-crust braised beetroot with glazed radicchio, potato purée and vanilla foam; strips of lukewarm roast beef with red cabbage, served both cooked and as a salad, with mole; briefly grilled tuna with balsamic blood-orange foam on baked potatoes.

Founded in 1783, Domaine Lejeune is housed in the former monastery of the Confrérie du Saint Sacrement on Pommard's church square. The cellar holds Burgundy's oldest open wooden vat, surrounded by 17 white birch vats. In the vineyard, only sulphur and copper are used, and parts of the plots are ploughed with horses. Since 2023, Louis de Belleroche has run the estate's 8.7 hectares.