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The Critics on Domaine Parent and the 2023 Vintage:

I tasted with Anne Parent, having missed the last couple of vintages. She introduced me to her niece, Constance, who has joined the business with a view to taking over in due course. The domaine has been biodynamic since 2010 and is now under certification, after encouragement from the Lafarges and Guillaume d’Angerville. 2023 required some green harvesting, so yields stayed under control at 46 hl/ha for 1er Cru, 48 at village level and 52 hl/ha for Bourgogne. Anne noted that while she is obsessed by the importance of phenolic ripeness, she has come to understand that in the hot years you have it anyway and must avoid high alcohols. She started on 9th September with some grape purchases, then the following day for domaine wines. She dialled back on punching down in 2023, so the wines avoided over extraction.
– Jasper Morris MW

Anne Parent was joined by her niece, Constance Fages-Parent, who will eventually take over the running of the estate. She previously worked for FICOFI in Asia, and the transition will be a step-by-step process. “It was a chaotic season,” Anne told me. “Springtime was not bad, but July was rainy and cold. Thankfully in September it was warmer and those last two or three weeks made the vintage. We did a normal crop, though not huge yields, a maximum 48 hl/ha for the Pommard Village. Harvest began on September 9 for the cuvées from purchased fruit and two days later, on our own estate, picking early in the morning. Sometimes, we stored the fruit in the cooler air-conditioned part of the winery. We did not have to do a lot of sorting. We were happy with the fact that the quantity did not affect the quality. The 2023 doesn’t have the same consistency and volume as the 2022 but the wines are softer and will give pleasure. I use less new oak nowadays and I added a new, small cooperage, Millard.” I really appreciated the 2023s from Parent. There is a little tweaking going on, the wines fashioned in a more classical style with greater transparency and less emphasis on the new oak that has been reined in over recent vintages. The Pommard Premier Crus at the heart of the range are well worth looking out for, especially since they are reasonably priced. If you can stretch the wallet just a little wider, do check out her sublime Corton Les Renardes. – Neal Martin MW

Anne Parent, who has directed this 10 ha domaine since 1998 where 90% of the production is in red, was proud to announce that the domaine was certified as bio-dynamic as of the 2024 vintage. As to 2023, she noted that it was a "generous year that benefited from an excellent flowering and a large fruit set. The growing season was warm and largely without disease pressure though because of the abundant yields, maturities were sufficiently slow that we began to worry if they would ever be sufficient. Then, a heat wave arrived in the second half of August and beginning of September and they spiked so we were understandably very pleased by that. We waited to begin picking and didn’t start until the 9th, which was relatively late in the context of most of the folks in Pommard. There was some sorting required but it was varied. In the end, yields were good but not excessive at around 46 to 47 hl/ha with very reasonable potential alcohols of 12.5 to 13.2%. I chose to vinify softly using varying amounts of whole clusters because even though everything was ripe, it would have been easy to over-extract. The élevage has been enormously beneficial as the wines have really taken on form and developed their respective personalities. Stylistically, they remind me quite a bit of our 1999s and in particular for their lovely balance. They should be approachable young but I’m confident that they will age well too. I’ve said this before but it’s true that Parent rarely misses and there are again several wines in the range that are warmly recommended. As is usually the case, Parent noted that the 2023 reds will be bottled without fining or filtration.
– Allen Meadows

The Wine list:

White

– 2023, Corton Les Renardes Grand Cru, Domaine Parent
– 2023, Corton Grand Cru, Domaine Parent

Red

– 2023, Pommard Les Noizons, Domaine Parent
– 2023, Pommard Les Argillières 1er Cru, Domaine Parent
– 2023, Pommard Les Chanlins 1er Cru, Domaine Parent
– 2023, Pommard Chaponnières 1er Cru, Domaine Parent
– 2023, Pommard La Croix Blanche, Domaine Parent
– 2023, Pommard Les Croix Noires 1er Cru, Domaine Parent
– 2023, Pommard Les Epenots 1er Cru, Domaine Parent

…read more including tasting notes on the Domaine Parent 2023 release