The 2009 Pommard Combes-Dessus is rather understated and even fleeting in its delicate fruit. This is a soft, perfumed wine that shows the more graceful side of Pommard. The Combes-Dessus is mostly sold in northern European countries and is not imported to the US. Combe-Dessus is a 1er Cru vineyard but the wine is declassified to villages because d’Angerville isn’t happy yet with the quality of the vineyard, although he has seen improvements since he began farming the parcel biodynamically. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. The harvest at d’Angerville started on September 9. Guillaume d’Angerville told me that in recent years he has doubled the number of pickers with the goal of harvesting all of the fruit in just a few days. The fruit was 100% destemmed. Cuvaison started with 3-4 days of cold maceration at a modestly cool temperature followed by two weeks on the skins with no punchdowns and a generally soft approach to extraction. After pressing, the wines were moved into barrel. The estate did one racking after the malos. New oak was on average 20-25%. In 2009 the estate completed a conversion to biodynamic farming started in 2006. Importer: Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, Napa CA; tel. (707) 299-2600

The 2008 Pommard comes across as quite elegant and refined for the village. This is a gorgeous wine with plenty of Pinot character. Hard candy and flowers add complexity on the sublime finish. The Pommard is made from a parcel in Les Combes-Dessus, a 1er cru vineyard. D'Angerville declassifies the wine to villages because he isn't yet totally satisfied with the results from this recently purchased site, although he notes improvements since the vineyard was converted to biodynamic farming. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2023. Importer: Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, Napa CA; tel. (707) 299-2600