Billard-Gonnet, Pommard 1er Chaponnieres Vieilles Vignes, 2012 SO020326 Cuillier and deeply Saint-Julien

and deeply Saint-Julien

long-lived Nebbiolo

showing blackberry and dried leaf on the nose with a juicy palate held taut by chalky minerality—a wine that rewards attention to its austere beauty

Distinctive

Billard-Gonnet, Pommard 1er Chaponnieres Vieilles Vignes, 2012 SO020326 Cuillier and deeply Saint-JulienThis is old school Pommard from one of the village's most stubbornly traditional addresses. Domaine Billard Gonnet traces its roots to 1766, and Philippe Billard still farms a patchwork of Pommard premiers crus the way his family always has: open vat fermentation, hand punch downs, and no fining or filtering. Chaponnieres is a structured, muscular site, and this old vines bottling is built for the long haul. At a dozen plus years on, the 2012 is