2003 Pierre Morey Pommard Grands Epenots

Domaine Pierre Morey has an illustrious history in Burgundy. Pierre Morey himself descends from a family that has been making wine in Meursault since the 18th century. Pierre worked alongside his father and established his own domaine in 1971. He was also responsible for the metayage, or sharecropping agreement, his father had set up with Comtes Lafon and was the cellar master for Domaine Leflaive. Domaine Pierre Morey has 27 acres including a Grand Cru parcel in Batard-Montrachet. Its Premier Crus are in Meursault, Pommard and Volnay. Morey also started a small negociant called Morey-Blanc.

Les Grands Epenots is a 25-acre Premier Cru vineyard in Pommard, in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. It is in the central part of the Pommard appellation, to the east of the village. There is a gentle slope to the vineyards in this part of Pommard, and the Burgundy expert Clive Coates notes that “the presence of pebbles in the soil ensures good drainage and contributes to the considerable elegance which you find in a good Epenots…” Because Pommard has no Grand Crus, its Premier Crus are especially noteworthy. Pommard is an appellation of red wine only.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.