Joseph Voillot, Pommard 1er Cru (Burgundy, France) 2011

This supremely delicate and tasteful wine has at least two lessons to teach:  Joseph Voillot is one of the best growers and winemakers in Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune, and 2011 has produced some gorgeous wines that should not be eclipsed by the two remarkable vintages that preceded it.  Voillot’s “Le Pez” 2011 shows much more aroma and flavor than one would expect from a conspicuously light-colored wine, and indeed the only thing accurately conveyed by the wine’s appearance is that it wasn’t over-extracted from an excessively aggressive maceration.  The fruit component recalls red cherries above all, though there are also hints of cranberries as well black cherries.  Subtle spice and toast notes — as well as nascent minerality — lend complexity without obscuring the fruit, which is fully ripe but also quite bright.  The wine’s excellent balance and freshness presage a very long period of development before it reaches its apogee, a process that will take a full decade but be well worth all of the patience you can muster.