The 2015 Pommard 1er Cru Les Jarollières offers succulent black cherry, cassis and iodine scents on the nose that needs to muster more Pommard-like characteristics. It needs to reflect more sense of place. The palate is dense and grippy on the entry with firm tannin, a powerful Pommard with a sprinkle of white pepper towards the finish. I appreciate the balance here, although it does lack the finesse of some of its peers.

The 2014 Pommard 1er Cru Jarollières contains 30% of vines planted in 1925, the most recent in 1990. It has a very dense nose: a wall of black fruit that does not let you past to feel the terroir, at the moment. The palate is structured with a firm backbone, grainy tannin and layers of blackberry infused with cold stone; this leads to a linear and correct finish that is not in the mood for playing around. Give it 3-5 years and make sure you like Pommard, though personally, I have a ken for the domaine's Volnays.

The 2013 Pommard 1er Cru Jarollières has an introspective bouquet after the flight of Volnay Premier Crus: tightly coiled with hints of dried blood infusing the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent and surprisingly grippy tannins. The oak will need more time to be fully subsumed but there is an attractive saline note lingering on the marine influenced finish. This is a very fine Pommard.

The 2012 Pommard 1er Cru Les Jarollieres comes from a 1.44-hectare parcel of vines, the oldest dating back to 1925. It has a more serious and introspective bouquet than the gaggle of buoyant Volnays. The palate is very smooth with silky tannins that take over and define the foursquare and yet fresh finish. It is typical Pommard in terms of its structure, one could almost say its aloofness, and I suggest that it will require 2 or 3 years in bottle. Domaine de la Pousse d'Or is one of the most picturesque estates in Burgundy, perched imperiously on the southern flank of Volnay village. With his hounds encircling his legs, I met with Patrick Landanger who became proprietor back in 1997 due to the untimely passed of Gerard Potel. His intentions of becoming a silent shareholder were changed and having acquired the remaining shares from the Potel family, found himself the sole proprietor. He got the bit between his teeth, expanding the domaine's holdings up unto Corton and down into Puligny, converting the vineyard to organic viticulture with an eye on biodynamics. We tasted the wines in his multi-tiered cuverie as assembled blend taken directly from vat. Patrick was keen to stress his dedication to sorting, first via a vibrating table, then a second by eye and hand, then electronically. The result is very pure fruit that fortunately is not taken to the extreme so that it erases the nuances of each terroir. Moreover, I appreciate the prudent use of new oak here. This is another estate, like Marquis d'Angerville, that has a ceteris paribus approach i.e. it is maintained at 30% so that those nuances of terroir can be observed without being skewed by the level of wood. There have been occasions, most notably apropos the 2009 vintage, where I felt that there was a touch of over-ripeness evident in the wines. In 2012 I only discerned one cuvee that exhibited similar traits, the Bonnes-Mares, which came across rather ostentatious compared to the far more refined Clos-de-la-Roche. Otherwise, these 2012s from La Pousse d'Or are worth seeking out. Importers: North Berkeley Wine, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 336-9880; a Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93

The 2009 Pommard Les Jarolieres saturates the palate with its round, ripe fruit. This shows lovely depth and richness, then turns quite a bit more powerful and tannic on the finish. Sweet menthol and crushed rocks wrap around the close. Les Jarolieres is on the border with Volnay. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2039. This is a stunning set of wines from Patrick Landager. The vintage yielded a set of super-sized, big wines that may shock some readers for their sheer intensity. These are among some of the most backward 2009s I tasted and will require considerable patience. The estate now farms a total of 19 hectares, which includes the vineyards Landager acquired when he bought Domaine Moine-Hudelot a few years back. In 2009 Landager started harvesting on September 22, when most people were already finished picking. Cuvaison started with 5-6 days of cold maceration and lasted a total of three weeks with one punchdown in the morning and a second in the afternoon. The wines spent 12-15 months in oak (roughly 30% new) on their fine lees with no rackings until they were prepared for bottling, which took place with no fining or filtration. (Note: the Chambolle saw 50% new oak). All of the 2009s were bottled in early February 2010. Importers: North Berkeley Wine, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 336-9880; a Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93