Domaine Coste-Caumartin, Burgundy with Tasting notes

Domaine Coste-Caumartin

And Their Pommard, Clos Des Boucherottes

At the northern end of Pommard, sandwiched between the Petits Epenots and Beaune’s Clos des Mouches, lies the 1.83 hectare Clos des Boucherottes. The name comes from bouchure, meaning a fault line in the rock – this being on the Clos des Mouches side. It is a monopoly, and it has belonged to the Sordet family, owners of the Domaine Coste-Caumartin, since the beginning of the last century.

The origins of the estate can be dated back to the time of the great Burgundian Dukes in the Middle Ages. A large part of what is now Pommard, comprising a fortified village encircled by a deep ditch, occupied the site where the Sordets have their dwelling and winery today. It was known as the Fief de Montjeu, and the Lords of Montjeu ruled over their landholdings for several centuries.

Today’s buildings, a courtyard containing a well enclosed by three stories of apartments and storage space, plus an open window out of which a gargoyle in the form of an old man’s head looks disapprovingly down on the activity below, date from 1610 onwards. The well with its magnificent slate roof dates from 1641, the date of completion.

The first Coste appears during the Revolution. In 1793 Antonin Coste acquired the domaine by marriage. For two centuries, until 1971, the family occupied a dual role as the village’s blacksmiths, renowned for the fabrication of cooking pots. Meanwhile the property passed by marriage through the hands of the Debrois and the Chenots before being succeeded by Jérôme Sordet’s ancestors, who also owned the Château de Saint-Romain. In 1892 the estate measured 32 hectares. It has shrunk since, as a result of the laws of succession. Today there are 14.5 hectares, whites in three different lieux-dits in Saint-Romain, reds in Beaune (premier cru Chouacheux) and Pommard (village and premier cru Les Fremiers, on the opposite, Volnay side, as well as the Clos des Boucherottes), plus generics.

The rows of vines in the Boucherottes, which is roughly a rectangle with the longer sides parallel with the slope, run north-south, not the usual east-west, which would give shorter rows. This is mainly to facilitate viticultural procedures, but it showed a major advantage in the terrible storm of the night of 23/24 August, 2004. Hail ravaged major sections of the Côte d’Or from Volnay all the way up to Marsannay. The swathes ran north-south. The Clos des Boucherottes was protected rather better than the Coste-Caumartin’s vines in the Fremiers, which run east-west.

Jérôme Sordet’s first vintage was 1988. At the time there was no cold-soaking, temperatures were allowed to rise to 33°C, and the cuvaison was quite short. Since 1998 there has been cold soaking at 18°C for 3 to 5 days, the maceration has been prolonged and the temperatures are under greater control. As always there is total de-stemming, and a reluctance to employ too much new oak. Ten to 15 percent is the maximum. The wine is bottled after 18 months.

I have been following the development of the Clos des Boucherottes and the other Coste-Caumartin wines for some years now and have observed a gradual increase in sophistication across the board. But the Clos des Boucherottes has been a delicious wine since 1989, as you will see from the notes which follow. Last year, tasting the 2002 vintage, I was particularly struck. The only Pommard to rival the Clos des Epeneaux, I wrote. So I was particularly glad when Jérôme Sordet put up the following selection for those who joined Becky Wasserman and myself for September 2004’s Bouilland Symposium. The wine has true Epenots elegance, richness and depth. With wines like this, I fail to comprehend why Pommard is such a hard sell today.

The Tasting

The following vintages of Pommard, Clos Des Boucherottes were sampled at Domaine Coste-Caumartin in September 2004.

2002 2010-2020+

Medium to medium-full colour. A slightly closed-in and austere nose. Plenty of depth and vigour though. Fullish bodied. No lack of richness. Good acidity. Long and stylish. Splendidly balanced. Very good indeed.

2001 2008-2018

Surprisingly good colour. Aromatic, flowery nose. No lack of weight and depth. Medium body. Round and ripe, balanced and stylish. Surprisingly fine for the vintage.

2000 2006-2012

Medium colour. Soft, fruity nose. No great weight but attractive, balanced and elegant. Round. Medium body. Soft and silky. Good fruit. Very good for the vintage. Fresh and supple. No lack of dimension. Ready soon.

1999 2009-2030

Full colour. Still youthful. Splendid rich, full nose. Fat and substantial but no hard edges. Fullish body. Some tannin. Ripe and very well balanced. Lovely silky-smooth, concentrated, elegant follow-through. Very classy. Fine.

1998 2008-2025

Good colour. Rich nose but a little tannic rigidity behind it. Medium-full body. Good grip. Quite structured. A little spicy. Not as ample or as potentially velvety as the 1999, but very good.

1997 Now-2010

Good colour. Soft, aromatic, very ripe nose. Not diffuse. Still very fresh. Delicious rich fruit on the palate. Medium body. Very ample and very fat. But very good acidity. A real success for the vintage. Very positive. Lovely.

1996

No stock left. Not sampled.

1995 2006-2020+

Good colour. Quite structured on the nose but now rounding off very satisfactorily. Medium-full body. Good tannins. Ripe. Very good grip. This is still vigorous but approaching full maturity. Rich, complex and classy. Very good indeed.

1994 Now-2010

Medium colour. Surprisingly attractive nose. Ripe and ample, generous and stylish. Medium body. Nice and fresh and plump. Much better than most of the Côte de Beaunes. No great depth or style but very good for the vintage. A point.

1993 2006-2026

Fine full youthful colour. Rich, concentrated, ample but very well-balanced nose. Full body. Just beginning to round off. Lots of structure. Lots of ample fruit. Very good acidity. This is concentrated and very classy. Very long. Very lovely. Needs two years.

1992 Drink Quite Soon

Quite a full, fresh colour for a 1992 now. Soft, open, quite fresh nose. Medium body. Round and fresh and more stylish than the 1994. Lots of class. No lack of elegance. Fully ready.

1991 Now-2014

Medium to medium-full colour. A hint of brown at the rim. Lovely nose. Rich and smooth. Quite concentrated. Quite subtle. Quite classy. Medium-full body. Very fresh. Lovely pure, ripe fruit. Plenty of dimension. Now à point. Very long and complex at the end. Lovely.

1990 Now-2015+

Very full, barely mature colour. Full, rich, cooked fruit/chocolate nose. No hard edges now but still substantial. Marvellous fruit on the palate. Splendidly ample, concentrated and rich. Very fresh. Very long. Fine. Needs food.

1989 Now-2012

Fullish, very fresh colour. Now fully mature. Aromatic. Quite evolved. Medium-full body. Very fresh. Lovely ripe, complex, seductive fruit. Good acidity. Long and very classy. Very charming. Very lovely.

1988 Now-2010

Fullish, mature colour. Rich full, quite substantial. Slightly four-square nose. Full on the palate. Not as sophisticated as the wine today. Very Pommard. Good acidity. Good but not great.