Camille & Guillaume Boillot Pommard 1er Cru “Les Rugiens Hauts” 2023

Camille and Guillaume Boillot make this Pommard Premier Cru from Les Rugiens Hauts, regarded as one of the best vineyards of a village known for sturdy, long-lived reds. Pommard sits on the Côte de Beaune, and the Rugiens slope carries iron-rich clay and limestone soils, the reddish iron lending the wines their depth and firm structure. The deep, stony ground concentrates the Pinot Noir, while the cool continental climate preserves the acidity that balances the tannin and allows long ageing. The estate farms sustainably. The wine is aged in oak barrels, where slow oxygen ingress through the wood softens the robust tannin into a finer grain and adds gentle spice, while lees contact rounds the mid-palate, the oak measured to keep the fruit and site in front. Expect a deep ruby red with dark cherry, plum and raspberry, framed by a savoury, earthy minerality and a faint dried-herb note. The palate is full and firmly structured, with grippy but ripe tannin, fresh acidity and a long, mineral finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted. It suits roast beef, game and mushrooms.