2017 Pommard

Hand-harvested grapes, hand-sorted on a vibrating table. 100% destemmed, and then into stainless-steel fermentation vats by gravity. 'Weeks-long' maceration and minimal punchdowns or pumping over. 16 months in 10% new French oak barrels for aging on fine lees. Un filtered. Medium-intensity crimson with purple highlights. Direct, pretty firmly macerated and rather austere, concentrated Pinot flavours. Still quite a bit of tannin – a youthful wine for a three-year-old Côte de Beaune Bourgogne. Ambitious. A lifespan of 10 years is predicted for this. It's not yet ready. For the moment it's a little brash rather than subtle. (JR)