2019 Bouchard Aine et Fils Cru Les Grands Epenots Premier Cru Pommard 750 ml

Don’t get your hopes up, they told us.

Technically, we weren't even supposed to know that the magisterial 2019 Bouchard Aîné & Fils Les Grands Epenots Premier Cru existed. It was a rarity from one of the single greatest vineyards in Pommard, and aside from a few four-star joints in Paris and London, no one knew about it.

But we did know it existed, and that was the problem. Once we’d tasted this marvelously ripe and supple Premier Cru red—our friend the cellarmaster snuck us in for a sample—there was no going back. Harkening to Pommard’s glorious postwar run of vintages in the 1940s, when the appellation’s wines seemed larger than life, this is a Burgundy of muscle and grit that holds nothing back.

There are no Grand Cru sites in Pommard, making Premier Cru releases like this bottle the absolute peak of quality you can buy—and the 25-acre Les Grands Epenots is considered by many to be a Grand Cru in all but name.

Since the 1700s, the historic Bouchard winery has been assembling one of the greatest collections of properties in Burgundy. Today, it encompasses dozens of Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards. In 2019, the house got its hands on fruit from one of the legendary sites in the village of Pommard.

Charging out of the glass with tremendous vitality, sheathed in aromas of inky dark fruit and mineral-rich granite, this wine has so much depth and strength you can lose sight of the elegance with which it was put together. Complex and expansive on the palate, every note of pomegranate, cherry, and plum rings true through to the spice-filled finish.