Description
Epenots is one of Pommard’s best-known names, referring to wines that come from a historic lieu-dit at the base of the Cote d’Or. This is made up of three climats – Les Grands Epenots, Les Petits Epenots and Clos des Epeneaux – all of which are planted to Pinot Noir. The wines made here are rich and structured with spicy, earthy overtones and considerable elegance; they are considered some of the best red wines in the Cote de Beaune. These wines may be labeled with their individual vineyard name, or under the wider Epenots designation.
Epenots, with its gentle slope and favorable soil, has some of the best terroir on the Cote de Beaune for the production of Pinot Noir. The site is at the northern end of the Pommard commune, on the very southern outskirts of Beaune. The village of Pommard is just a little way to the south, and the land to the east is given over to simple village wine.
Some of Epenots’ magic is due to a fault in the soil, which makes the topsoil a lot shallower than in the climats higher on the hill. In general, this iron-rich soil is pebbly and marly, and drains freely, which helps root systems grow down to the limestone beneath. As well as increasing vine strength, this limits vigor and grape yield, forcing the vines to produce small, concentrated berries, leading to high-quality wines. However, there is some soil variation in the vineyard: closer to the river that runs through Pommard, the soil is slightly richer, making a fuller wine.
The Epenots lieu-dit has a gentle slope, certainly more so than in Les Rugiens in the southern half of Pommard. It faces towards the southeast, providing gentle sunlight exposure in the mornings, but some protection from the fierce afternoon sun. The Pinor Noir grapes planted here can develop phenols and sugars slowly in this mesoclimate, and cooler evenings help with the retention of acidity. The result is a balanced wine with excellent structure and plenty of aging capability.
