Domaine Parent Selection Pomone Red Burgundy 2018

Drinking this wine absolutely convinces me of several things:

First, it’s awesome red Burgundy. It’s muscular, deep and rich, and it expresses style, clarity and elegance. It is all that you could ever ask for in a bottle of Burgundy.

Second, the two sisters Parent are on a rocketship course to attain Burgundy Superstardom. Mark my words. You’re getting a fantastic bargain with this wine, which will not be the case in coming vintages. Buy now.

Third, being from 2018. It drinks great now, but I have no doubt that it will make for old bones in your cellar. It will easily go for another 15 years, if not longer. 2018 was a great vintage in Burgundy and this wine shows it.

Fourth, it’s named after Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruitful abundance. And who doesn’t want to party like a goddess, or with one?

Finally, this “Bourgogne Selection Pomone” is actually this: 10% Premier Cru Pommard Noizons, 20% Ladoix Premier Cru, and the balance all from older vineyards (70+ years) from the “correct” side of the Route des Grands Crus in Pommard Village. As Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate sums this wine up, “this ‘basic’ red Burgundy punches at a high village cru level.”

The 2018 vintage opens like a Premier Cru Pommard – black cherry fruit, bramble, spice and mineral tension across the depths of the wine. This is big-boned Burgundy, and all of the bottles I have had take a while to open up. Put the wine in a decanter for an hour or two, or start with a glass at lunch to finish with dinner. Don’t underestimate its power. Yet with that power comes an imminently pleasurable sense of balance and poise. There is no need to rush a glass (or a bottle), because as it unfolds, the warmth of its complexity is revealed. I had the pleasure of drinking a bottle of 1964 a while back and it was in prime form.

To sum up – this “mere” Pomone is transcendent red burgundy, punching far beyond its appellation.