November traditionally marks the beginning of Burgundy tasting season… tasting dinners, cellar visits, barrel tastings, press reviews, Paulee tastings and of course the annual Hospice de Beaune barrel auction. As the chill and damp of winter truly starts to set in, Burgundy red and white wines seem the obvious choice for any number of fine wine drinking occasions. So we were in for a big treat when Anne Parent from Domaine Parent in Pommard arrived in London for a series of exciting tasting events.

Created in 1803, and located in Pommard (Côte d’Or), Domaine Parent is managed by two sisters, Anne Parent and sister Catherine Fages-Parent, who together represent the 12th generation of the family preserving winemaking traditions dating back to the 17th century. This famous Domaine offers Premiers and Grands Crus, mainly red wines but also several exceptional and highly sought after white wines. Their wines have been fully certified organic (ECOCERT) since their 2013 vintage and they also practice biodynamic cultivation methods though choose not to be certified.

This was the first time I had the opportunity to meet Anne Parent and what a lovely, passionate vigneron she is. UK wine merchants can often be caught murmuring under their breaths how shy and retiring so many Burgundian vignerons are in real life. Well, Anne could certainly not be further from this cliched image, tasting and speaking about her wines with an animated excitement and a genuinely infectious enthusiasm. I had the great fortune to sit alongside her at this recent tasting dinner and she was an utter delight to converse with.

The Domaine Parent wines, a bit like Anne herself, are attractive, friendly, accessible, polished creations that burst with energy and purity but certainly don’t lack the infamous power and poise of premium Pommard wines.

A&C Parent Cremant de Bourgogne 2018, 12.5% Abv.

Vibrant and elegant with a beautiful fine mousse, a piquant salinity, white flowers and a harmonious white citrus creamy intensity on the finish. Delightfully mouthwatering and refreshing.

(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Anne Parent Monthelie 2020 Blanc (Magnum), 13% Abv.

Only 10% white production and 90% red in Monthelie AOC, these are vines grown on deep limestone soils. A beautifully rich, earthy, savoury, biscuity aromatics with a hint of struck match flintiness, waxy lemon peel, wet river pebbles, and limestone minerality. No batonnage, there is a delicious concentration and freshness after 16 months ageing in 35% new French oak, boasting candied lemons, citrus pastille, tangy acids and a delicately exotic yellow fruited finish with a kiss of dried herbs.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Corton Grand Cru Blanc 2019, 13.5% Abv.

17-18 months in 100% new French oak. No batonnage. A direct, intense fresh white with incredible intensity and complexity, showing a vibrant electric acid frame balanced by plush lemon and lime fruits, struck flint reduction, delicate smokiness, and a long, ripe, salted caramel and vanilla pod kissed finish. Simply awesome.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Bourgogne Selection Pomone 2019, 12.5% Abv.

Made from old vine grapes grown on the lower part of Volnay and Pommard, aged for 14m in 600 litre barrels. Delicately exotic and seductive boasting notes of cranberry, pomegranate, salted toffee with crystalline purity, light touch elegance and a taut, crunchy sophisticated strawberry and sour plum length. Very impressive.

(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard Les Croix Blanches 2017 Lieu Dit, 13% Abv.

10% Whole Bunches. 14 months ageing in 35% new French oak. A more serious, taut, structured expression with broody aromatics of damson plum, salty black currant, and a limestone minerality. Palate is tight knit, textured, very precise with fabulous purity, spicy minerality, subtle power and structure with a classical elegance, supple fleshy tannins and a harmonious finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Croix Noires 2016, 13.5% Abv.

Less than one hectare in size made by three growers. Fabulously deep, dark and powerful with a smoky gunpowder minerality over pithy black cherry, struck flint, graphite, Christmas spice and an oak kiss. There is texture and breadth, silky power and precision all arranged in a very compact, powerful, harmonious package built around minerality, acid and restrained red and black fruit purity. Undoubtedly a Vin de Guard that’s more austere and rustic now in a true provocative Pommard style.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnieres 2016, 13.5% Abv.

A complex aromatics with savoury fleshy overt notes of sweet cranberry, pomegranate, savoury earthy black plum with sweet exotic Asian spices, before a more exotic, opulent expressive palate that already shows a sweet red and black fruited generosity, a glycerol breadth and sweet fruited, pink musk laced elegance and length. Really delicious already.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Argillieres 2019, 13.5% Abv.

40% whole bunch, 45% new oak. An impressively overt, feminine, fleshy generous vintage already showing smoky black berry, black cherry, with sweet herbs, gunpowder and a sweet, plush, more fleshy overt expression of fruit on the long, precise finish. Delightfully opulent now.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2019, 13.5% Abv.

100% whole bunch, 100% new oak. Another superbly intellectual wine with plenty of easy generosity, power and intensity as well as its own personality and character. The nose shows earthy sous bois hints, savoury black berries, stewed strawberry compote and a dense creamy long intense finish. Such impressive breadth and textural mouthfeel with real complexity and sensual pleasure.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Corton Grand Cru Les Renardes 2017, 13.5% Abv.

100% whole bunch, 100% new oak. This is a taut, smoky, classical expression of Corton Pinot Noir with a slight sappy, resinous aromatics laced with red currant, red cherry, savoury black berry and subtle hints of blood orange. The texture is dense and beautifully composed, sleek, tight grained, sweet fruited with tangy acids, fleshy tannins and a long, full, mouth coating intensity. This is classy Corton at its best, showing more in common with the Cotes de Nuits than perhaps the Cotes de Beaune.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The wines of Domaine Anne Parent are imported into the UK by Wimbledon Wine Cellars. Allocations available upon request.