Notes of wild berries, dark chocolate, spices and grilled meats preface Bouchard's 2019 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens, a medium to full-bodied, racy and precise wine, with a concentrated, tightly wound core of fruit, powdery tannins and a long, lively finish. More suave and elegant than the 2018 rendition, this is a refined Rugiens in the making.

The 2018 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens reveals an incipiently complex bouquet of cherries, red berries, licorice, espresso roast and forest floor. It has a medium to full-bodied and ripe but succulent palate that's muscular and enveloping, with its generous core of fruit partially concealing a firm chassis of tannin. This, like the Pezerolles that preceded it, will demand some bottle age.

The 2016 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens, located in the lieu-dit of Rugiens-Dessus, provides more focus and delineation than the Volnay Caillerets, offering plenty of detailed black cherry, raspberry and boysenberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fresh and fine tannin, crisp acidity, a little ferrous toward the finish but long in the mouth. This is very well crafted and should age well for over a decade.

The 2015 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens had to follow the superb Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot and perhaps as a consequence, felt a little disjointed and mean in comparison—even if there was a small reduction. There are attractive undergrowth, woodland scents permeating the black fruit, although I would have liked to see more vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, moderate depth with good grip, although I find the oak a little out of sync towards the finish. Let's see how this performs once in bottle.

The 2013 Pommard 1er Cru les Rugiens has quite a lively, vivacious bouquet compared to the Volnay Caillerets at the moment: nicely defined with good minerality. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp, succulent tannins, plenty of cranberry and blackberry fruit with a rustic, spicy, chewy finish that lacks a little persistence. Otherwise this will be fine once it is in bottle.