One of the best Côte de Beaune reds of the vintage. The four blocks that make up the blend of this justly celebrated Pommard Premier Cru red amount to 5.23ha and range in age between 36 and 100 years' old. Aged in one third new wood, it has spice and tobacco pouch top notes, layers of red berry fruit, fresh acidity and firm, yet granular tannins.

(93 - 95+ points) As usual, I sampled the various constituents of the cuvée before tasting a representative blend of the 2018 Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux, and as ever, the whole is superior to the sum of the parts. Wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of raspberries, cherries, peonies, spices, orange rind, cassis, woodsmoke and espresso roast, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, its lively and concentrated core of fruit framed by rich structuring tannins, concluding with a long and sapid finish. This promises to number among the Côte de Beaune's wines of the vintage, and it will be well worth seeking out.- WK

Fresh vigorous purple. A mix of well-judged new oak and opulent but not over-heady powerful fresh raspberry fruit. On the palate, the fruit fills the mouth with an energetic even slightly raw fruit, enough to cover the tannins and lead to a long, red-fruited finish. Drink from 2033.

The 2018 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru is much more understated on the nose compared to its peers. Well-defined, with red berry fruit, forest floor, bay leaf and light truffle scents. The palate is well balanced with sappy red fruit, lightly spiced with candid orange peel and blood orange surfacing towards the persistent finish. It does not quite have the pedigree of the very finest 2018s Pommard, but it is clearly well made. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting. -- Neal Martin