If this morning’s Meursault discovery got you salivating for one of those captivating, long meals that the late fall and holiday season can produce, then we have the perfect accompaniment to the main course for you now: Perfectly aged, ready-to-rock red Burgundy from the excellent 2015 vintage! And as a bonus to this bonus, this wine is made by young rising star Pierre Arcelain. At his tiny, four-hectare estate in Pommard, Arcelain is crafting old-school red Burgundies that have that ethereal combination of lifted, beguiling aromatics and sappy texture. His wines are built to last, but the generosity of the 2015 vintage is readily apparent in this single-vineyard Pommard which, though still youthful, is ready to impress right out of the gates. Complex, regal Pinot Noir from excellent terroir, farmed organically, and made by an exciting young talent is a very rare treat these days. Even more rare is the eight years of bottle age combined with a very reasonable $75 price tag. Grab a few bottles of this Pommard, and a few bottles of this morning’s Meursault, and you will be ready for a paired course holiday meal nonpareil!
Passing the torch from parents to children is an ancient practice in the vineyards of Europe, and Burgundy has one of the most well-documented lineages of this generational relay. But sometimes things don’t go in a perfectly straight line. Domaine Michel Arcelain has been producing wine under the family label since the late 1800s, and the family has been growers for much longer than that. But when Michel and his wife Marie-Madeleine finally decided it was time to retire, after decades in the vines, their children were fully ensconced in their own careers. So, the keys to this small property were given to their grandson, Pierre, fresh out of internships and oenology school.
Pierre Arcelain had a few ideas about some changes at his family’s estate, as young, energetic folks often do. The first was to begin the conversion to organic farming, an ongoing process with the goal of reaching certification at some point in the near future. Of course, attending wine school in France in the 2010s meant that Pierre was influenced by the natural wine movement, but a funny thing happened when he put his newly trained eyes on the winery he had grown up in: It turns out that his grandparents had been making wine pretty “naturally” all along. So, with a focus on farming, Pierre essentially became a steward of the old-school methods that had been used for generations.
The 2015 “Les Noizons” comes from an excellent lieu-dit parcel that sits just above the Premier Crus of Pezorolles and Charmots, on a relatively steep slope with shallow topsoil and lots of limestone rocks. This produces one of the more powerful expressions of Pommard, though the rich, fruit forward style of 2015 plays perfectly with the inherent structure of this terroir. At eight years old this Pinot beauty is fully open, though it would be good to give it a nice 30 minute decant prior to serving in a large Burgundy stem at around 60 degrees. The color is deep garnet, with hints of indigo and a slightly pink-orange rim. A cornucopia of aromatics leaps from the glass: Spiced cherries, black currants, violets, mint, anise, dark chocolate, game, and forest floor underbrush in droves. A wonderful accompaniment to seasonal game dishes (when available) it’s also perfect for any hearty stew or roast. Or, go for the gold and serve this morning’s Meursault with a first course of pan seared fish and then follow it with a filet mignon in sauce bearnaise. Presto: A dinner party extravaganza is complete!
