Just Had the '78 Verger: One of the Best Wines of My Life. THE Best Wines to Age I Sell. Period

The Last of the Almost Ready to Drink '07 Rugiens and an Incredible '13 Verger 

"I am often asked exactly which domaines do I put in my personal cellar; well, Billard is one of them." Allen Meadows, Burghound

Last week, Phillipe Billard opened a bottle of his 1978 Pommard 1er Cru Clos du Verger for me. My tasting note started "Oh God." It was one of the most profound bottles of wine I have had from any producer, anywhere. The depth, the balance, the  tertiary aromas of truffle, mushroom and flavors that come with time were a knockout. A profound drinking experience. Heck, it was a profound life

experience.

Billard's wines can be challenging young but they age with the best wines in the world. They are made in an uncompromising, traditional style. At these prices, if you age wine at all, these wines should not be passed up.

First, I have an allocation for the last bottles of a wine that I believe will be ready to drink in a relatively short amount of time (1-2 years) due to the up front/ drink me now character of the vintage. It is the 2007 Billard-Gonet Pommard 1er Cru "Les Rugiens," which can be had for as little as $59.99 on a 3 pack. For me, this is my favorite Rugiens. There may be more famous, more high scoring and more expensive but none are like Phillipe's. The wine has more soul than a James Brown record. Perfectly advanced and mature nose. Hay, earth and minerals. Secondary aromas. Woodsy nose. Evolving secondary aromas. Sous-bois mushrooms. Elegant and ripe. Beautiful softer palate with terrific purity and a long beautiful finish. This is just an absolute knockout of a a wine. This is entering its drinking window but please try and hold some back so that you can see the heights that this winemaker can achieve.

Phillipe told me because he has not had a normal yield since 2009 that he is almost out of older wines that he holds back for selling. That is a shame, so I reserved the last little bit he has of this extraordinary wine.

The second wine is the 2013 Billard-Gonet 1er Cru Pommard "Clos de Verger", which can be had for as little as $39.99 on a 4-pack. The nose is huge and dense. This wine is packed and the aromas let you know. His '13 production was down due to hail so yields had to be severely cut but what they were left with was magical. The concentration on this wine is ridiculous. There is old vine sap and intensity. This wowed me on the palate and has enormous potential, enormous. 1978 potential. This is very, very special wine with incredible breeding, finesse and power. This should enter its drinking window in 2030 and last till 2060. Phillipe took me down to his "treasures" room and showed me bottles of 1889, 1905 and 1914 Pommards that had never been moved. I am not a betting man, but if I was I would say those wines are still good.

As I noted, these are the best Burgundies for aging in my book. Now let me make another bold statement. They also need more time in the bottle than any Burgundy I have ever tasted. The wait is worth it. 25-30 years ago most Burgundies were like this and not all fruit forward like today. You could not drink them on release. Today's Burgs can be drunk upon release and are usually finished before Billard-Gonet's have started to become drinkable. The shift in style is significant for sure and happened also in Piedmont for Barolo and Barbaresco. People just cannot wait anymore. Infanticide is common, so winemakers adjusted and Burgs are different.

Walking into Phillipe Billard's house is like walking into a time machine. His wines are also from a different time. When Pommard earned its reputation as burly, brawny, manly wine and was considered one of the greats of Burgundy. After a 90 Pezerolles and the aforementioned 78 Clos de Verger, I get it now. These wines need time and will reward the patient. The very patient. I had a client question about the the 08 Pommard Chapponieres. It tasted like all acid and tannin and no fruit. I said wait 15 years and this will be the best wine in your cellar.

I love this man and his wines because he will not change his style or compromise his life's work because people can't wait. And if that means he loses some customers along the way. So be it.

But I am happy to be the messenger for the magic in these bottles.


Billard Gonnet Pommard 1er Cru "Rugiens Bas" 2007 - $64.99
($179.97 3-pack)
(VERY LIMITED ALLOCATION)

Billard Gonnet Pommard 1er Cru "Clos de Verger" 2013 - $44.99
($159.96 4-pack)
Shipping will be charged when wine ships.

These will be shipped in the FALL