Armand Heitz Pommard 1er Cru Chanière 2020

Armand Heitz Pommard 1er Cru Chanière comes from a premier cru on the higher ground of Pommard, in the Côte de Beaune.

Pommard sits between Beaune and Volnay and has a long reputation for the most robust and long lived reds of the Côte de Beaune, built on iron rich clay and limestone. It holds no grand cru but a long list of premiers crus, and La Chanière lies among those on the upper part of the slope, where the soil is thinner and the harvest a little later. Armand Heitz took over his family's vines in the Côte de Beaune in the 2010s and has since become one of the more closely watched young growers of the region, farming organically and building a mixed, regenerative farm around the vineyards, with livestock, trees and hedgerows worked in among the vines.

Give it time, since five to ten years in the cellar is well spent, and at the table it wants roast lamb, beef or game rather than anything light.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: Red Wine
Style: Full-bodied, Structured, Age-worthy
Grape Varietal: Pinot Noir
Tastes Like: Comparable to a structured Pinot Noir, but firmer and more tannic than most, with a grip closer to young Nebbiolo
Alcohol Percentage: 13.5%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Pommard 1er Cru AOC
Region: Pommard, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France
Terroir: Higher ground at the Beaune end of the commune, on thinner soils over limestone
Aging: Raised in barrel with new oak used sparingly
Serving Temperature: 15–16℃ – Decant and serve at cellar temperature

Armand Heitz took over his family’s vines in the 2010s, working from Chassagne-Montrachet and Pommard, and farms organically with a regenerative approach that brings livestock, trees and hedgerows back among the vines.

La Chanière is a premier cru on the higher ground at the Beaune end of Pommard, where the slope steepens and the soils thin over limestone. Pommard is the sturdiest of the Côte de Beaune communes, built on clay and marl that give its Pinot Noir unusual density and tannin for the region, and the higher sites such as this one temper that weight with a little more lift. The reds are raised in barrel with new oak used sparingly.

Meat: Perfect with boeuf bourguignon, roast beef or braised short rib
Game: Excellent with venison, hare or roast pheasant
Poultry: Pairs beautifully with roast duck, goose or coq au vin
Mushroom: Ideal with ceps, morels or a rich mushroom ragout

Époisses: The great Burgundian washed rind, pungent enough to meet the wine’s structure
Cîteaux: A Burgundian abbey cheese, supple and savoury alongside the wine’s depth
Comté: Nutty and firm, softening the wine’s tannin
Ami du Chambertin: Rich and washed rind, matching the wine’s intensity

Boeuf Bourguignon (Burgundian Braised Beef)

Ingredients (Serves 6):

• 1.5kg beef chuck, cut into large cubes
• 750ml red Burgundy
• 200g smoked bacon lardons
• 250g button mushrooms
• 250g small pickling onions, peeled
• 2 carrots, thickly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 500ml beef stock
• 1 bouquet garni of thyme, bay and parsley stalks
• 50g butter
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• Salt and cracked black pepper

Instructions:

1. Marinate the beef overnight in the red wine with the carrots, garlic and bouquet garni.
2. Drain the meat, reserving the wine and vegetables, and dry the pieces thoroughly.
3. Render the lardons in a heavy casserole, lift them out, then brown the beef in batches in the fat with a little oil.
4. Return all the beef, dust with the flour and stir over the heat for two minutes to cook it out.
5. Pour in the reserved wine and stock, add the vegetables, bouquet garni and lardons, and bring to a bare simmer.
6. Cover and cook in a low oven at 150℃ for three hours until the beef yields to a spoon.
7. Meanwhile brown the onions and mushrooms separately in butter and add them for the final 30 minutes.
8. Skim the surface, check the seasoning and rest for 15 minutes before serving.

The definitive dish of the region, Boeuf Bourguignon is a natural partner for Pommard. This is the sturdiest of the Côte de Beaune reds, and its firm tannin and dark-fruited weight stand up to a three-hour braise where a lighter Burgundy would be swallowed by the sauce.