Robert Cremieux – Pommard 1966

Robert Cremieux – Pommard 1966: A rare example of a legendary Burgundy vintage

The 1966 Pommard from Robert Cremieux is a wine of rare historical depth – a testament to the Burgundian winemaking tradition, hailing from one of the most renowned appellations of the Côte de Beaune and produced in a vintage that remains one of the most exceptional of the 20th century. Very little is recorded in publicly available wine literature about the producer Robert Cremieux himself; his name does not appear in the standard reference works on the great Burgundian estates. What is known is that the house bottled wines from various Burgundian appellations – including Bourgogne Rouge, Chablis and Beaujolais. The 1966 Pommard is one of a series of bottlings produced during an era in which numerous small négociants and family-run estates shaped the Burgundian wine landscape – often without the acclaim their wines deserved.

The Pommard appellation: ‘The flower of the wines of the Beaunois’

Pommard is one of the oldest and most renowned wine-growing villages in the Côte de Beaune and lies just a few kilometres south of Beaune. As far back as the Middle Ages, Pommard was regarded as ‘la fleur des vins du Beauvois’ – the flower of the wines of the Beaunois. Winegrowing in this commune dates back to the 11th century: in 1005, King Robert the Pious confirmed the donation of a vineyard in ‘Polmarco’ to the Abbey of Saint-Bénigne in Dijon. The Pommard appellation, officially recognised in 1936, covers around 313 hectares of vineyards – planted exclusively with Pinot Noir – and produces an average of around 12,520 hectolitres per year.

The soils of Pommard consist of iron-rich clay-limestone, which lends the wines their characteristic power and structure. The wines are regarded as the most powerful and tannic in the Côte de Beaune – full-bodied, fleshy and muscular, with aromas of blackcurrants, plums, pepper and leather. These characteristics make Pommard a wine that – as one description puts it – is ‘made for eternity’ and requires decades of ageing to reveal its full grandeur.

The 1966 vintage: An exceptional year

The 1966 vintage ranks among Burgundy’s legendary vintages of the 20th century. In the official classification of Pommard vintages, 1966 is listed alongside 1947, 1953 and 1959 as an ‘année d’exception’ – an exceptional year. The climatic conditions of 1966 were characterised by a warm, dry summer, which allowed the Pinot Noir grapes to ripen slowly and fully. The wines of this vintage are characterised by remarkable concentration, firm tannins and a precise acidity profile – qualities that make them exceptionally long-lived wines.

The existence of the 1966 vintage is documented by numerous auction lots at renowned auction houses: at Christie’s, bottles of Pommard from 1966 were offered with liquid levels of 5 to 6 centimetres below the cork – a typical appearance for wines of this age. On iDealwine, bottles from the 1966 vintage achieved auction prices between 2015 and 2020 that attest to the continuing demand for this vintage.

The wine in the glass: a mature Pommard of rare depth

After more than five decades of bottle ageing, this 1966 Pommard from Robert Cremieux is in a condition reserved for only the very rarest of wines. The colour is likely to be a luminous ruby red with brick-red highlights – the typical patina of a Burgundy that has matured for over fifty years. The nose unfolds the classic aromatic spectrum of a great Pommard: notes of blackcurrants, plums and a hint of pepper, underpinned by the tertiary aromas characteristic of mature Burgundies – leather, undergrowth and a hint of truffle. On the palate , there is a powerful yet silky-smooth tannin structure, balanced by lively acidity, with an exceptionally long, mineral finish.

A window into a bygone era

For collectors and connoisseurs, the 1966 Robert Cremieux Pommardis a wine of great rarity – a testament to a bygone era of Burgundian viticulture, from one of the most powerful appellations of the Côte de Beaune, vinified in a year that ranks amongst the most exceptional of the 20th century. Anyone who opens such a bottle holds not only a rare Burgundy in their hands, but a piece of Burgundian contemporary history – and a wine that, after more than five decades of bottle ageing, has retained remarkable depth, power and elegance.