Leroux has always said that if there were one 1er Cru that would tempt him back to Pommard, it would be Les Rugiens. A new long-term contract with the same owner as the Volnay Caillerets brought Leroux back to his old stomping ground in 2017. So, once again, he is working with the same iron-rich red clay soils that he did so famously at Comte Armand.
These vines (0.6 hectares covering three small parcels of 25- to 90-year-old plants) lie at the foot of Les Rugiens-Hauts, the part of the vineyard considered by many (Leroux included) to produce Pommard’s greatest wines. Again, only the youngest fruit was destemmed, leaving half as whole berries. “It’s the kind of Pommard I love,” says Leroux. Dark and layered (no, I did not get Alpine strawberry!), this is simply great Burgundy with the Leroux finesse and fine tannins. Four barrels were made this year, with 50% bunches in the ferment.