Bright medium red. Ripe but withdrawn nose hints at redcurrant, raspberry, pomegranate and spices, with lively hints of menthol and herbs and even a touch of mint. Juicy and fine-grained but a bit youthfully compressed, showing excellent energy for the vintage. Intense flavors of red berries, leather and spices and savory soil tones will need time in bottle to expand. Classically dry, firmly tannic and subtly long, with the inner-mouth energy and minerality to age slowly and gracefully. In late 2016, the wine's tannins were cutting off its fruit, but not today.

The 2015 Pommard Les Rugiens 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, crushed stone and decayed leaf aromas. The palate is medium-bodied and well-structured, possibly with some stem addition lending freshness and tertiary/mulch-like notes toward the smudged finish. The wine seems to deteriorate in the glass from an initial positive showing. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.