($89, A Jeanne-Marie des Champs Selection):  To me the talents of a producer shine when they make great wine from less than great sites.  Domaine Parent does that consistently, though they also make great wine from great sites, as their 2016 Les Chaponnières shows.  Take this Pommard, for example, a village wine, not a premier cru.  Most producers blend grapes from many vineyards to produce their village wines.  Anne Parent, with runs the domaine with her sister, Catherine, opt to bottle this one separately because she thinks, though not a premier cru, it produces grapes a cut above the usual village vineyard.  Indeed, Parent’s La Croix Blanche usually offers more interest and complexity than many producers’ premier crus.  The 2016, a full-bodied wine — it is Pommard, has amazing refinement.  Fine tannins lend a luxurious feel to it.  Though robust, it’s not heavy.  Indeed, it has an invigorating lift in the finish.  This is a premier cru masquerading as a village wine.
93 Michael Apstein Jul 17, 2018