The 2020 Pommard 1er Cru Les Croix Noires is very classic in profile, exhibiting aromas of dark berries, cherries, rose petals and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, supple and vibrant, with powdery tannins and lively acids, it's deep and layered, with a youthfully structured profile that will reward bottle age.

A high point of the range is the 2019 Pommard 1er Cru Les Croix Noires, a terrific wine that unfurls in the glass with complex aromas of raspberries, plums, raw cocoa, sweet spices, licorice and grilled squab. Medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, it's deep and multidimensional, with melting tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, expansive finish.

The 2018 Pommard 1er Cru Les Croix Noires hails from a lieu-dit adjacent to Les Fremiers, yet the two wines are quite different. Mingling aromas of dark berries and plums with hints of black truffle, grilled squab and dried flowers, the Croix Noires is medium to full-bodied, concentrated and velvety, with a sappy core of fruit and a sapid finish. Boillot tells me he performed a green harvest on some of the higher-yielding vines planted in this parcel.

The insider's choice chez Boillot is the 2017 Pommard 1er Cru Croix Noires, a delightful wine that reveals aromas of cherries, grilled meats, licorice and rich soil. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety, with good depth and dimension, juicy acids and a pleasing sense of completeness.

The 2016 Pommard 1er Cru Croix Noires was cropped at just 11.5 hectoliters per hectare, more than the Fremiets at least. It offers pretty red cherry and strawberry scents, less concentrated but better defined than the Fremiets. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy, ripe tannin, a straightforward Pommard with good body if just missing some complexity on the finish.