Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Château de Pommard in Pommard, Côte de Beaune - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2018, France

Pictures: Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Château de Pommard in Pommard, Côte de Beaune

Founded in 1726, Château de Pommard remains one of the most iconic wine estates in Burgundy. To the domaine belongs the monopole site Clos Marey-Monge, at the heart of the domain. In July 2015, UNESCO declared the Clos a World Heritage protected climat of Burgundy. The 20 hectares clay and limestone rich terroir makes it the largest and most interesting monopole in the Côte d’Or.

Etienne Payet, Deputy Onsite Sales Manager, was our host. We toured the Clos Marey-Monge vineyard, visited the winemaking facilities and termined the visit with a tasting.

Following the visit of Château de Pommard we went back to the hotel in Beaune. Time to wind down in the hotel or having a pre-dinner aperitif at one of the many wine bars in Beaune. Annette and I went to our favorite wine bar in Beaune, Bistrot du Coin.

Pictures: Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Château de Pommard in Pommard, Côte de Beaune

Château de Pommard

Château de Pommard's origins began in 1726 when Vivant Micault, a secretary to King Louis XV, began constructing Château Micault, as it is known now, near the ruins of the 11th century fortress of Odo I, Duke of Burgundy. Château Micault, built from Chassagne-Montrachet pink limestone, was designed by Parisian architect, Charles-Étienne Brisseaux, in the Regency style of the era.

In 2003, after almost 80 years of Laplanche Family stewardship, Château de Pommard found itself under new proprietors – this time, the Giraud family, from Haute Savoie. Maurice Giraud transformed Château de Pommard into a 21st century wine tourist destination.

Since 2014, the estate is owned and managed by the Carabello-Baum family from the USA. Michael Baum, innovator, entrepreneur, and pioneer of big data in the Silicon Valley purchased Château de Pommard in 2014 after a nine-year search for the perfect place to make wine. He invested heavily in the vineyards, the cellars, the overall image of the estate, in wine education, and in geological studies of the different climats of the Clos Marey-Monge and other Burgundy climats. Within two years Château de Pommard has undergone a remarkable transformation. With winemaker Emmanuel Sala they started to convert to biodynamic winemaking in 2016.

Pictures: Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Château de Pommard in Pommard, Côte de Beaune

To best describe the philosophy of this estate I quote: “We have three simple ambitions: to always work in harmony with the laws of nature, maintain a hands-off approach and let the vintage do all the talking. That's it. Embracing sustainability and biodynamic viticulture is not just about making succulent and delectable wines, it’s about making a connection with our planet and letting it know that we will do our absolute best to take care of it.”

Portfolio

Simone

Simone’s terroir is the soul of Clos Marey-Monge. Only half a hectare in size, Simone was classified première cuvée by Jules Lavalle in 1855. In 2009, Claude and Lydia Bourguignon’s scientific study confirmed Simone’s soils are, in fact, equal to those of a Grand Cru, and proudly show off one of the highest recorded clay densities in Burgundy.

Clos Marey-Monge Monopole

Each of Clos Marey-Monge's seven plots – Simone, Chantrerie, Les Paules, Grand Champ, 75 Rangs, Micault and Émilie – has its own soil type and microclimate. Simone and Chantrerie contain two of the highest clay density levels recorded in Burgundy.

The south-east facing vines of the vineyard spans 20 hectares in surface area and is enclosed within a two-meter-tall and 2,000-meter-long stone fortress wall, erected in 1812 by Nicolas-Joseph Marey-Monge. With 150 million years of geology forming the fundamental building blocks of its soils Clos Marey-Monge today sits on an alluvial fan known as the Avant-Dheune Valley dejection cone, a geological structure that presents helpful conditions for the notoriously demanding Pinot Noir varietal to flourish.

Clos Marey-Monge was awarded première cuvée status in Professor Jules Lavalle's The History and Statistics of the Great Wines of the Côte d'Or, a comprehensive classification of the region's soils, first published in 1855. Since 2016, and in collaboration with Biodynamic Specialist, Antoine Lepetit de la Bigne, Clos Marey-Monge is both biodynamically and sustainably farmed.

Pictures: Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Château de Pommard in Pommard, Côte de Beaune

Vivant

Produced from the youngest vines of Clos Marey-Monge, but born from terroir that has been cultivated for a millennia, Vivant Micault is bursting with energy, yet tamed with elegance. Even our youngest vines are now matured older than 30 years and are now behaving at their very best.

Côte de Nuits

Our Côte de Nuits wines represent the very best of the northern region of the Côte d’Or. From Gevrey-Chambertin to Nuits-Saint-Georges, our signature winemaking technique creates the purest expression of each terroir and vintage.

Côte de Beaune

Côte de Beaune is the southern part of the Côte d’Or and the place we call home. Our friendly relationships with our neighboring appellations enables us to produce wines from the beautiful villages that surround Pommard, including Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet, Ladoix, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Volnay.

Tasting

We termined the visit with a tasting.

Pictures: Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Château de Pommard in Pommard, Côte de Beaune

Back in Beaune at Bistrot du Coin

Time to wind down in the hotel or having a pre-dinner aperitif at one of the many wine bars in Beaune. Annette and I went to our favorite wine bar in Beaune, Bistrot du Coin.

See: Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Beaune, Bourgogne