Domaine Y. Clerget, Pommard Premier Cru, Les Rugiens 2021 - 150cl
Domaine Yvon Clerget traces its roots in Volnay back to 1268, which makes the family one of the oldest names in Burgundy still working its own vines. Thibaud Clerget now runs the domaine, and Les Rugiens is one of its jewels. This is Pommard Premier Cru in magnum, a bottle built for the cellar and for the table you set once a year.
Les Rugiens takes its name from the iron-rich red soil that runs through the vineyard, and that soil shows in the glass. Pommard is the broadest-shouldered commune in the Côte de Beaune, all structure and grip, but Les Rugiens is its most refined corner, the part that leans towards Volnay's finesse without losing the muscle. The 2021 vintage was cool and small, cut back by spring frost, and it has given wines of real freshness and precision rather than sunny weight.
Expect dark cherry and blackcurrant, rose petal, and a savoury note of iron and undergrowth, with fine, firm tannins framing it all. There's proper acidity here, the kind that keeps a serious red lively. Young, it's tightly wound. Give it time and it unfolds into something deep and perfumed.
This is not a wine to open tonight. In magnum it will age slowly and beautifully; think 2028 at the earliest, and comfortably into the late 2030s.
How to Serve
Serve at 15–17°C. Decant a younger bottle a good hour ahead, or better, lay it down. A large Burgundy bowl is worth the effort.
Where to Drink It
Noble Rot in Soho, where a Burgundy like this belongs. The River Cafe, for the magnum and a long lunch. Wiltons on Jermyn Street, for game season.
Food Pairings
Roast duck, or a herb-crusted rack of lamb; in autumn, anything with wild mushrooms.
