Pommard Premier Cru, Les Epenots, Philippe Pacalet, 2021

Philippe Pacalet, the mercurial former winemaker at Domaine Prieuré-Roch, described his 2020s as “Gourmand et frais” and (as you can see from my email signature!) this has become our catchphrase to sum up the vintage. Starting harvest on 23rd August, he noted that the small berries resulted in musts with impressive density and concentration, however Philippe’s preference for 100% whole bunches has helped the wines retain vitality and delineation: He suggests “stems are like bubbles in Champagne – they give freshness and balance opulence”. He also notes that alcohol levels were slightly less than 2019 (on average 13% rather than 13.5%). Discussing the drinking window and potential longevity of the wines, he answered the question in typically Pacalet style: “How long will the wines keep? Depends how many friends you have…”