Recognized for yielding a generous, powerful and overall impressive style of Pinot Noir, Pommard is one of the most prestigious villages of Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune area—a reputation Julien Bouchard Pommard Premier Cru Clos Micault lives up to in spades. A medium-bodied red with heft, it delivers resounding flavors of black currant, dark cherry and raspberry hemmed in by structured tannins. And, because it comes from the house of Julien Bouchard, it also overdelivers for its price tag.

Privileged Pour: The grapes for this wine were sourced from a small, seven-acre clos (a walled vineyard with a single owner) at the lower end of Pommard’s belt of Premier Crus vineyards. Though most vineyards in this gently sloping area are known generally to produce Pommard’s most light-weight selections, this particular site is notorious for yielding robust bottlings, and just a handful of producers have access.

The exclusivity of it all may make the bottle enticing, but anyone who has tasted this wine will know the extra persuasion isn’t necessary. A beautiful shade of deep ruby, it wafts alluring aromas of freshly jarred raspberry jam, black currant and earth matched by coffee accents and a slight toastiness from its nearly 18-month rest in oak. These characteristics play out beautifully on the palate, where they are joined by darker fruit tones of blackberry and plum, and held together by firm tannins.

A Dream Partnership: In Burgundy, the house of Albert Bichot is legendary, having owned land there since the 14th century and produced wine since the early 1800s. Today, it remains a family-run company that owns its own vineyards. However, Bichot is also a négociant-éleveur, which means it can supplement its own fruit with purchased grapes, freshly crushed juice or unfinished wine from a network of small growers.

The approach allows access to an enviable collection of vineyards—including the Premier Cru clos from which this wine was made—and has enabled them to produce premium wines without premium price tags. This is part of the reason Decanter has called Albert Bichot “one of the region’s most dynamic, quality-focused” estates.

For 50 years, Julien Bouchard dedicated himself to making some of the finest wines in Burgundy. In 1955, without anyone to leave his winery and vineyards to, he selected the team at Albert Bichot to become stewards of his life’s work and continue his legacy. Today, we are happy to bring the Bouchard range to the U.S.

Still young, this wine will evolve beautifully the next 5-10 years (perhaps even longer). We were allocated just 50 cases. Order a bottle ASAP, decant and enjoy immediately, or secure as many as you can and cellar to savor repeatedly.