Those, who have been in Pommard, just a few miles south of Beaune, probably know the restaurant Le Pommard right in the center of Pommard. It is a “Restaurant de Tourisme” where you can enjoy “Specialites Bourgiugnonnes”. The restaurant is owned and operated by the Delangrange family, who owns and operates also the Domaines Bernard Delangrange et Fils.
The Domaines Bernard Delangrange et Fils is based in Meursault. You can buy the wines at the estate in Meursault, but also in the cute little cellar below the restaurant in Pommard as well as in the “Cave Philippe Delagrange” right in the center of Beaune.
Head of the family and “chief executive officer” is Philippe Delagrange, who I met in the cellar in Pommard.
Pommard
Pommard is just a couple of minutes south of Beaune in the Cote de Beaune, famous for its Pinot Noir wines, with which the commune's vineyards are almost exclusively planted. Pommard is a village of 600 inhabitants. 60 vignerons live in the village, but the total number of producers making Pommard is around 300.
The appellation extends through some 320 hectares. There are 28 premier crus, as well as village wine, but no grand crus. Roughly one-third is premier cru and two-thirds are communal.
Among the premiers crus, there are three monopoles in Pommard – Clos de Derrière Saint-Jean, Clos des Boucherottes and Clos de la Commaraine. The latter still belongs to the Jaboulet Vercherre family, even though the company of the same name has ceased to exist. For some years Maison Louis Jadot bottled the whole harvest from this premier cru, but since 2003 the grapes are split 50-50 with Maison Pierre André in Aloxe-Corton.
Two vineyards stand out: the lower part of Les Rugiens and the 5 hectare walled Clos des Epéneaux, monopoly of Comte Armand; both are slated to become grand cru.
Restaurant Le Pommard in Pommard
The restaurant Le Pommard is a “Restaurant de Tourisme” where you can enjoy “Specialites Bourgiugnonnes”. We had lunch there with the Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim, on the way back from Bordeaux to Germany.
Wine Store in Pommard
In the same building, just below the restaurant is a nice little wine store where you can buy and taste all the Domaine Bernard Delangrange et Fils wines. The domaine itself is in Meursault, a couple of miles south of Pommard.
Meursault
The AOC Meursault may be used for white wine and red with respectively Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as the main grape variety, totaling about 400 hectares. The production of white Meursault dominates, with around 98 per cent. There are no Grand Cru vineyards within Meursault, but several highly regarded Premier Cru vineyards.
Domaines Bernard Delangrange et Fils in Meursault
The monks of the Abbaye de Citeaux used to be owners of the vineyards of Domaines Bernard Delangrange et Fils, from the XIth century on. In the XVth century, a Portuguese family came and settled in what are today the buildings of the Domaines Bernard Delagrange et Fils. In 1972, Bernard Delagrange moved to Meursault and took over the property.
Today, 3 generations work on the estate, Bernard Delagrange together with his son Philippe and his grand-son Alban. The Domaines Bernard Delagrange et Fils totals 23 hectares in Volnay, Pommard, Beaune, Meursault, Auxey Duresses for red wines and in Saint Romain, Meursault, Auxey Duresses and Savignc les Beaune for white wines. The cellar dates from the 15th century and is very impressive.
Portfolio
Philippe Delangrange has an interesting selection to offer. It spans over several vineyard areas and several vintages.
The current price list contains about 20 red wines and about 10 white wines from 1993 up to 2010. For some wines, he offers up to 5 different vintages, going back to as far as 1993.
The largest group is the Volnay group. He currently has 5 wines from Volnay, with 2009 the most recent vintage and 1993 the oldest vintage. The Volnay “Clos de Village” Monopole sells for Euro 16. The most expensive Volnay is the “Caillerets” 1er Cru for Euro 27.
The most expensive wine is a 2010 Meursault “Charmes” 1er Cru, for Euro 35. At the entry level, you find a Bourgogne Aligote 2004 for Euro 6 and a Bourgogne Haute Cote de Beaune from 2009 for Euro 9.
Beaune
The best known building, the Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is a former charitable almshouse, founded in 1443 as a hospital for the poor and needy. The original hospital building, the Hôtel-Dieu, one of the finest examples of French fifteenth-century architecture, is now a museum. Services for patients are now provided in modern hospital buildings.
An important charity wine auction is held in November each year (formerly in the great hall of the Hôtel-Dieu). The Domaine des Hospices de Beaune is a non-profit organisation which owns around 61 hectares of donated vineyard land, much of this classified Grand and Premier Cru.
Caveau Philippe Delangrage in Beaune
The Caveau Philippe Delangrage – Degustation et Vente exclusive des Vins des Domaines Delangrage - in Beaune is right next to the Hôtel-Dieu, with a “sale” in the second floor and a “caveau” in the basement. It offers all the Domaine Bernard Delangrange et Fils wines.
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