Pommard, prosperous village in Burgundy producing the most powerful red wines of the Côte de Beaune district of the Côte d’Or, from the usual Pinot Noir grapes. The pendulum of fashion tends to swing between Pommard and Volnay, currently favouring the latter. However, a fine Pommard will be darker in colour than neighbouring volnay, deeper in flavour, more tannic in structure, less charming when young but capable of developing into a rich, sturdy wine of great power after ten years in bottle. Claude Arnoux noted in 1728 that Pommard lasted longer than Volnay, only in those days he meant 18 months rather than 12.
