Pommard 1er Cru (2022)

About this wine

This Pommard 1er Cru from Domaine Parent is 100 percent Pinot Noir from the Côte de Beaune in Burgundy, an appellation known for red wines with depth and firm structure. The aromatics lean toward violet, cherry, and raspberry, with a darker edge of cherry pit, subtle licorice, and a touch of earth. On the palate it is concentrated and dense rather than light, with bright acidity that keeps the fruit clear and lifted. The tannins are present and mouth coating but polished, giving a chewy, confident frame that feels very classic for Pommard. Parent vinifies with careful sorting, a short cold soak of about three to five days, then an extended time on skins of roughly eighteen to twenty days, followed by ageing for about sixteen to eighteen months in French oak, typically with about thirty to forty percent new barrels. Pommard is exclusively red wine from Pinot Noir and was among the early French appellations officially recognized in 1936, and its clay and limestone soils help explain the wine’s grip, savory detail, and longevity.

About the grape

Pinot Noir is one of Burgundy’s oldest grapes, first recorded in writing in the late 1300s, and it sits at the root of the large Noirien family that includes varieties like Chardonnay and Aligoté. In Pommard, the appellation is essentially built around Pinot Noir, with rules that may allow small amounts of other grapes but in practice the wines are overwhelmingly Pinot Noir. Domaine Parent’s 2022 Pommard 1er Cru is made as a single variety Pinot Noir, a traditional choice that highlights how this grape performs in the commune’s structured red wine style. The fruit is grown on classic Pommard clay and limestone soils in Premier Cru sites, where well drained slopes and established vines help Pinot Noir ripen evenly while keeping the variety’s naturally delicate skins in balance.

Quick facts

• 🧩 This Pommard 1er Cru is typically a cuvée that blends fruit from both Les Grands Épenots and Les Petits Épenots, essentially stitching together two famed Épenots terroirs in one bottle.
• 🌳 The Épenots vines at Domaine Parent are a real age mix, with old vines around 53 years alongside younger plantings around 26 years, giving both depth and lift in the same wine.
• 👭 Domaine Parent is a multi generation Pommard family estate now led by sisters Anne and Catherine Parent, a notable woman led reference point in a village long associated with traditional family domaines.
• 🌿 The domaine moved from an organic approach to official organic certification in 2013, and has also experimented with biodynamic methods on some parcels since 2010.
• 🌵 Épenots is said to take its name from thorny bushes that once covered the slope, and the climat is often discussed as Grand Cru caliber, with even proposals to upgrade it alongside Rugiens.

Palate profile

Producer

Domaine Parent is a long established estate in the village of Pommard, with the Parent family active in Burgundy wine since the seventeenth century. The domaine itself was founded in 1803 by Claude Parent and has remained family run across multiple generations. Since 1998 it has been led by sisters Anne Parent and Catherine Pages Parent, with Anne focused on viticulture and winemaking and Catherine on the commercial side. The estate is centered on Pommard and is known for a strong lineup of village and premier cru wines, alongside a small negotiant activity under the Jacques Parent et Cie name. In the modern era the domaine adopted biodynamic practices and later earned organic certification, reflecting a sustained focus on farming and terroir expression.