Description
Pommard "Les Cras" is our only red Côte de Beaune village-level wine. The origin of the word "Cras" comes from "rocky hillsides," a term often used to designate a lower elevation vineyard whose soil is constituted of rubble and pebbly stones. Very well situated at the top of the lieu-dit with a slight slope toward the south and between the intersections of two Premier Crus ("Les Combes Dessus" and "Le Clos Micot"), this 0.5-hectare parcel's soil is gravelly with a high-quality red clay that is very typical of Pommard. Planted at the beginning of the 1980s, this vineyard gives generous, profound, and sappy fruit. This parcel was vinified separately under the Château de Puligny name along with a lesser parcel (now sold off) before 2012. On its own, it is now able to fully express the excellence of its site. The wines, in the style of Domaine de Montille, are known to craft wines with great aromatic purity, always favoring balance and elegance over power and extraction. The wines are classic expressions of Burgundy, produced in the most natural way possible and possessing an impressive ability to age, as the family believes only time can reveal the true potential of the greatest wines. The domaine's current style remains faithful to Hubert's natural and idealistic approach, which demanded considerable patience while waiting for appropriate drinking windows for certain vintages. Etienne, however, has taken up the task to bring greater aromatic expression and silkier and more unctuous textures to the reds, allowing them to drink earlier, without compromising their ability to age. The domaine is known in Burgundy, among others such as Arlot, DRC, Dujac, and Leroy, to regularly vinify using a significant proportion of whole clusters, varying by cuvée and by vintage.
