The Humble Gourmand

Dear friends,

Jean-Pierre Charlot was pulling out of the Voillot winery one morning, when a sweaty jogger mobbed him with an American accent: “On s’est rencontre a NY, je dois venir pour un degustation!” Round trip from Beaune to Pommard is about 7 kilometers and if you are eating and imbibing like you should be in France, I recommend taking a little run through the vineyards, along the sloping Cote de Beaune. One may learn a great deal this way - the way the vineyards puzzle together, who is out plowing, what stage the vines are in, which of the better parts of the slope melt the snow away first..

I have been meaning to write about Voillot wines forever as these are such subtle delicate, feminine, aromatic, perfumed beauties. We have reached into the cellar for some older vintages, and while the wine changes from vintage to vintage, these have been consistently pure, touching the bedrock of what Volnay and Pommard is all about. In operation for 5 generations, the Voillot winery is managed by aforementioned Jean-Pierre, former prof at the Lycee Viticole in Beaune, (and no, I have yet to get over there for that tasting, but I have tasted the wines as often as possible). There is a light touch here; low yields (in the 30’s per hectare), 30 percent new french oak is used, the vines average about 50 years in age. The tiny premier cru of Clos Micault covers roughly a third of an acre, and was the first acquisition of the Voillot family in 1870, still producing about three barrels per year.

From Bettane and Dessauve: “For many years, Jean Pierre Charlot has vinified some of the finest and most balanced wines of Volnay and Pommard…aging reveals with a high degree of accuracy the type of the year and soil.”

I chose this wine purely because it shook me when I tasted it, the aromas unfolded themselves gradually and I lingered for several moments amidst a huge walkabout tasting. Again, at the Grand Jour de Bourgogne, (which I recommend for any budding Burgundy lover), this Pommard expressed it’s haunting depth of Burgundy fruit. This is a soft round Pommard, not tannic and tight like some of it’s brethren. 2006 is still open and drinking, and I love the vintage for it’s classic structure in comparison with the warm 05’s and the sometimes odd 04’s (among which there are wonderful wines to be found, nonetheless).

The price stood firm at $84 and I’m not seeing it on wine searcher for anything less. And thus, when I realized I could get this price I jumped for joy:

Joseph Voillot Pommard 1er Cru, ‘Clos Micault’ 2006

$58 per bottle / or $320 for 6

The wine is extremely limited - first come, first served. Will be available for delivery and shipping within 2 weeks.

Slainte,

Mary Taylor

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