**This offer is subject to allocation**
The Future is Here!
In February 2017, after 36 years at the helm of Domaine Ponsot, Laurent Ponsot left his celebrated Morey-St-Denis Estate to launch an eponymous operation with his son Clément. This was obviously a great surprise to many, if not all, Burgundy lovers, including us. Yet behind the scenes, the family had been managing Ponsot’s impending departure for some time, giving this iconoclast a buffer to set up his new venture. The reasons behind the departure remain private and, considering the complexity of untying and splitting the family’s vineyard holdings and external contracts, admirably discreet. Laurent remains a 25% silent shareholder in Domaine Ponsot, although he will be focussing exclusively on “Laurent Ponsot”.
So a new icon is shaping up. The new operation, an all-in-one vineyard owner, sharecropper and négociant, is based in Gilly-lès-Cîteaux, close to the Clos de Vougeot. It’s a distinctly family affair: joining Ponsot and Clément are Ponsot’s other two children Claire and Nicolas—and importantly, Ponsot can also count on his experienced vigneron/chef de cave Arnaud Rouellat, a veteran of 20 years with Domaine Ponsot.
The key thing to note about the offering below is that almost all of the wines, with the exception of only the Bourgogne rouge and Gevrey-Chambertin, come from the original vines that once supplied Domaine Ponsot.
This includes legendary wines like Le Montrachet, Le Chambertin, and Clos St Denis which were previously strictly offered as part of Domaine Ponsot’s mixed Grand Cru packs, as well as the renowned Griotte-Chambertin and Chambolle Charmes. Most of these have been farmed by Ponsot since the ‘80s and will now no longer be offered by the Domaine. As Ponsot put it, “Just because there’s been a divorce, doesn’t mean the children are not still mine!” Well, some of the children at least. From 2017 the line-up at Laurent Ponsot will increase to include some new and exceptional terroirs in both the Côtes de Nuits and Côtes de Beaune.
Indeed, almost all of the wines below come from the same vines as previous vintages of Domaine Ponsot releases and, when you consider that it is the same man making the wines as well, it becomes clear that the wines of Laurent Ponsot offer a deep continuity with the historical offering from the family Domaine, even if they are now being released under a radically different label. This leads to another important point: there are now two ‘Ponsot’ producers in Burgundy, albeit with wines from a different set of terroirs. To wit, Laurent Ponsot took the Clos St Denis vines, but the Domaine kept the Clos de la Roche.
Regarding winegrowing and winemaking, the song remains the same. There is no recipe. Ponsot, as before, farms without chemicals but refuses to adhere to any sort of restrictive ideology. All fruit is destemmed, and the wines are vinified in large, ancient, open-topped oak fermenters. From here, basket pressing occurs before the wines are sent to exclusively old oak barriques for the malos and aging. New oak is anathema to Ponsot, one of the things that make his wines unique and gives them such purity from the get-go (particularly since 2005).
As we know, Ponsot is far from conventional. Instead, to borrow a phrase from Andrew Jefford (The New France), his practice invokes a kind of complex simplicity. He avoids sulfur dioxide but protects the wine in vats with inert gas and makes use of the latest technology and science in order to maximise freshness and purity in the bottle. This starts in the winery where every barrel is tested monthly, right through to the packaging. As before, Ponsot’s cases are ‘connected’. Each shipment is sent with a microchip that tracks the temperature over the wine’s journey, and each bottle is equipped with a dot of ink that changes colour if the bottle encounters high temperatures. There is also a special ‘Prooftag’ on the Grand Cru boxes to ensure the wine is genuine. Finally, the 750ml bottles are sealed with striking, jet black Ardea Seals; the highly effective, taint- and oxidation-free closure twenty years in the making that is now being trialled and used at several of Burgundy’s top Domaines, including DRC. You can read more about these matters here.
Today’s Offer
Laurent departed the family Domaine with a few casks of the 2015s he produced (as part of his share of the family vintage). These wines, offered below, finished their elevage in Gilly, and are bottled under the modern new label. They are, in effect, barrel selections from Domaine Ponsot. When we asked Laurent if he chose specific barrels for his own label he winked and said, “What do you think?” We couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. To eliminate any confusion between the two operations, Laurent has chosen not to use terms like Vieilles Vignes and Très Vieilles Vignes. Instead he has labelled all the 2015 wines with “An Zéro” (Year Zero), noting that 2016 is “Year One”, the first bonafide vintage for Laurent Ponsot. From 2016, thecuvées have been named after trees (reds) or flowers (whites).
Such a contrast between Domain Ponsot & Laurent Ponsot’s new digs!
As for the vintages below, I think most people will know that 2015 is a great vintage that reminds of a finer, less structured 1999 or a deeper, more concentrated 2010. You could also run with a fresher, more structured 2009. That’s all another way of saying that this is an outstanding year that produced deep wines of power and vibrancy. The better producers’ reds will age superbly. It will rightly be known more for its reds than whites, although there are plenty of outstanding wines in both colours. The vintage was sunny and yet the nights were cool (unlike, say 2009) so although the whites have depth and pulp, they also have plenty of freshness. They are drinking well already and will continue to do so. What is less well known, as a lot of the wines are only starting to hit the market, is that 2016 is an absolutely outstanding year in Burgundy—and in both colours. The low yields brought on by the frost have played their part in the quality and style but even when there were normal yields, the wines of the best producers are generally brilliant.
To focus in on the producer we offer today, Laurent Ponsot has produced a remarkable set of wines. They are incredibly deep and lush and layered, with low yields and late picking definitely playing their part. They are much more seductive and fleshy than the more powdery, classical 2015s and are, in fact, as hedonistic and powerful a set of young red Burgundies as I have tasted. Full stop. The top wines are not cheap, that much is clear, and yet they seriously deliver, sitting comfortably alongside the greatest wines being produced in Burgundy. They are also available in tiny quantities. In short, they are what they are.
A Sneak Peak of What’s to Come
About the Wines
The 2015 Reds
2015 Laurent Ponsot Bourgogne Rouge An Zéro
The same wine as the Domaine Ponsot’s wonderful Bourgogne Rouge (Cuvée des Pinson), so this is literally a case (or a few cases!) of better late than never. It’s drawn from a parcel of vines just below the Route Nationale in Chambolle, and on the Morey line. Ponsot has been farming these vines since 2002, and his wine has always shown that wonderfully pretty and floral Chambolle lift although the 2015 also has terrific intensity for the level. An exceptional Bourgogne that Ponsot buyers should jump on. Note: the review below speaks of the 2015 Domaine Ponsot bottling. This is the same wine, bottled under a different label (see introduction above).
“❤ Outstanding. A notably ripe yet attractively fresh nose speaks of both red and dark berries along with soft earth nuances. There is fine volume to the relatively full-bodied flavors that possess a lovely mid-plate texture before concluding in a mildly rustic and warm finish. Still, this is really quite good and worth considering as a quality option for an all-around house red.” 86-89 points, Allen Meadows, Burghound.com, Issue 65
2015 Laurent Ponsot Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes An Zéro
Ponsot works a superb 0.6-hectare, old-vine parcel in this renowned vineyard with an average age of nearly 50 years. The site is planted at 12,000 vines per hectare. Ponsot’s vines are at the very top of the vineyard, in line with the top of Les Amoureuses and the bottom of LeMusigny. The outstanding quality of the wine reflects this remarkable terroir. Year in and year out this is one of the best wines we taste from Chambolle—many a Grand Cru has less breed and class.
“❤ Outstanding. A ripe and fresh nose combines elegant notes of maraschino cherry, plum and spice with a whisper of floral character. There is a really lovely mouthfeel to the caressing, round and highly refined flavors that exude an enticing inner mouth perfume while delivering excellent length on the focused, delineated and silky finish where the sense of refinement is enhanced by the notably fine-grained tannins. An excellent example of the vineyard.”
2015 Laurent Ponsot Grand Cru Griotte-Chambertin An Zéro
The Griotte-Chambertin comes over to Laurent Ponsot from the Domaine. It has always been farmed through a métayagearrangement with the Mercier family. Ponsot has farmed just under a hectare of vines in En Griotte since the early 1980s. Griotte is a tiny, 2.7-hectare site, completely surrounded by the other Grand Crus of Gevrey. The Ponsot vines are now 30 years old. It is always a wonderful Gevrey Grand Cru—a wine of remarkable class and grace. In 2015 there is the added muscle that comes with the vintage.
“❤ Outstanding. A wonderfully spicy, elegant and fresh nose blends notes of red and dark cherry with those of cassis, plum, violet and discreet earth nuances. The intense and tautly muscular middle weight plus flavors are even more refined if perhaps not quite as mineral-driven while delivering superb length on the balanced but markedly austere finish where a touch of cherry pit emerges. This terrific effort is very clearly built-to-age and I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle for at least 10 years and it should easily reward 20.”
2015 Laurent Ponsot Grand Cru Clos Saint Denis An Zéro
Under the Domaine Ponsot label, the Clos St Denis Tres Vieilles Vignes emerged as one of the great unicorn Burgundies, famed for both its quality and scarcity. As of 2016 this wine lives solely in the Laurent Ponsot stable. From exactly the same vines that sired the Domaine Ponsot Tres Vieilles Vignes, the fruit hails from a 0.44-hectare parcel in the Clos planted in 1905, farmed under the same métayage arrangement (since the early 1980s) as the Griotte, Chambertin et al. As the vines are so old, the yields are minuscule and so is the production. Only a privileged few get to taste this wine, let alone receive a bottle, which goes some way to explain the pricing. The wine is raised in Ponsot’s oldest (refurbished) barrels originally coopered in 1945. Note: the review below speaks of the 2015 Domaine Ponsot bottling. This is the same wine, bottled under a different label (see introduction above).
“❤ Don't Miss! A kaleidoscopically spicy and subtly floral nose is even more discreet if patently classier with its lovely aromas of red and dark cherry liqueur, lilac, tea and softly anise-tinged aromas. The sweet, pure and understated flavors are underpinned by firm and dense but quite fine tannins that support the mouth coating, indeed palate staining finish that is impeccably well-balanced and sneaky long. There is ample sap to buffer the structure and unlike many of these grands crus, this should actually be approachable young. In sum, this is a magnificent CSD.”
2015 Laurent Ponsot Grand Cru Chambertin An Zéro
Until 2015, Ponsot’s rarely seen Chambertin was only offered to clients as part of the exclusive 12-pack Assortiment de Grands Crus. As such, only an exclusive clique of privileged Burgundy nuts will have tasted the wine. Now some lucky others can join that club! The tiny holding is rented through the métayage arrangement (previously referred to in this offer) that also includes the Clos Saint Denis, Griotte-Chambertin and Chambolle Charmes. The main plot is a 0.14-hectare strip of vines running from the bottom almost to the top of the vineyard, and located at the centre of the Chambertin vineyard. This is simply Gevrey brilliance.
“A distinctly cool and highly spiced nose reveals reluctant aromas of both red and black currant, humus, earth and a whiff of that gamey Gevrey character. There is an impressive underlying tension to the sleekly textured and overtly muscular broad-shouldered and mineral-driven flavors that exhibit superb persistence on the hugely long finish that is focused and reasonably well-balanced though there is a hint of warmth. Even so, this should very amply repay extended cellaring as the underlying material is just too good for very much to go awry.”
The 2015 Whites
2015 Laurent Ponsot Grand Cru Corton Charlemagne An Zéro
Ponsot’s Corton-Charlemagne is drawn from a range of parcels in both Aloxe and Pernand. While Ponsot can no longer work in the Mont-Luisants, Aligoté plays a part in the story here. The mature vines of Corton-Charlemagne are something like one-third Aligoté across the AOC according to Ponsot, and his wine is no different. But then again, the variety doesn’t matter—this is simply a great Corton! It comes from a spread of mature plots which Ponsot calls “universal” Corton-Charlemagne.
“A pungent and well-layered nose exhibits notes of apple skin, citrus zest, white flower and a wisp of wet stone. There is fine vibrancy and impressive richness to the generously proportioned, dense and sappy broad-shouldered flavors that deliver good if not truly special persistence on the citrusy finale. I wouldn't describe this as classically styled but rather as a seductive and forward C-C that should drink well early on in the context of what is typical for the appellation.”
2015 Laurent Ponsot Grand Cru Montrachet Blanc An Zéro
This wine was first produced under the Domaine label in 2010, with a single barrel made, and only then released as part of Ponsot’s Grand Cru dozen, the Assortiment des Grands Crus. Since that time a second vineyard source had been added (thus creating one parcel each in Puligny and Chassagne) that took the volume up to three barrels in a typical vintage. Great Montrachet is both rare and extremely expensive, yet whenever we have been lucky enough to taste this wine we have been suitably impressed! With this contract staying with the Domaine, Laurent Ponsot did not make a Montrachet in 2016 or 2017, though we hope there will be a 2018 release, albeit from a new source.
“A distinctly ripe yet still attractively fresh nose is composed by notes of pear, acacia blossom, citrus and brioche hints. There is both excellent volume and power to the subtly stony big-bodied flavors that brim with dry extract while delivering outstanding length on the reasonably well-balanced finish where the only nit is a hint of warmth.”
The 2016 Reds
2016 Laurent Ponsot Bourgogne Rouge Cuvée des Peupliers
As mentioned previously, we never had the opportunity to bring in Domaine Ponsot’s wonderful Bourgogne Rouge (Cuvée des Pinson), so it’s great to now have a superb example from Laurent Ponsot. The Cuvée des Peupliers is drawn from a parcel of vines just below the Route Nationale in Chambolle, and on the Morey line. Ponsot has been farming these vines since 2002, and his wine has always been very Chambolle in personality. In addition, in 2016 a number of small parcels from the Côte de Beaune were added to make up the frost-reduced volumes. Just a quarter of the cuvée was raised in oak. It’s a delightfully pretty, red-fruited Burgundy, fleshy though not at all heavy with a juicy, moreish personality and a long finish with hints of forest floor. The silky texture and overall quality for the level is glorious. A peuplier is a poplar tree.
“An exuberantly fresh nose offers up a variety of red berry fruit and earth notes where the latter component can also be found on the energetic and well-detailed middle weight flavors that flash only a touch of rusticity on the clean, dry and focused finale. A quality effort in the context of what is typical for the genre.”
2016 Laurent Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny Cuvée de la Violette
Laurent Ponsot has farmed a tiny 0.31 of a hectare in Chambolle since 2002. The Domaine Ponsot bottling was called Cuvée des Cigales and, in spite of our protestations, the wine from this vineyard has never made the trip to Australia—until now. Burghound must have tasted this at a different stage to us as what we encountered was a beautifully rich and layered red Chambolle that was at the same time classically detailed and floral, yet with the opulence and texture that we have come to expect of this producer’s reds in 2016.
“This is aromatically more complex and much more floral in character as well with pretty and airy raspberry, cherry and spice-inflected scents. The round but well-detailed flavors possess a finer mouthfeel though I wouldn't necessarily describe it as refined, all wrapped in a mildly dry but long finish. This is tough to predict how it will turn out but because the tannins appear to be ripe my projected range offers the benefit of the doubt provided the wine is held for at least a few years first.”
2016 Laurent Ponsot Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes Cuvée du Tilleul
Ponsot works a superb 0.6-hectare, old-vine parcel in this renowned vineyard with an average age of nearly 50 years. The site is planted at 12,000 vines per hectare. Ponsot’s vines are at the very top of the vineyard, in line with the top of Les Amoureuses and the bottom of LeMusigny. The outstanding quality of the wine reflects this remarkable terroir and also a remarkable, frost-affected year where the yields were tiny (12hl/ha!). The result is a blockbuster burgundy—a wine of startling perfume and massive, layered depth. Expect layer after layer of confit cherry and anise fruit, tapering to a finely structured, yet princely finish. Many a Grand Cru has less depth and class. A tilleul is a linden tree.
“❤ Outstanding. Here too there is a note of menthol along with evident wood, something that is highly unusual for a classic Ponsot wine. To be fair, neither is enough to overshadow the ripe nose of red berry fruit liqueur-like aromas that are cut with hints of plum and violet. The sleek, delicious and energetic flavors are at once muscular yet refined while offering excellent length on the relatively powerful and firmly structured finish. Good potential here.”
2016 Laurent Ponsot Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée de l'Aulne
The last time we shipped a Ponsot Gevrey, it was the Domaine Ponsot Cuvée des Abeille. Ponsot’s modus of late picking always seemed to heighten this Gevrey villages primordial persona, and it’s good to note the leopard has not changed its spots. Ponsot’s sources in 2016 include purchased grapes (vinified by Laurent), and he has also bought a couple of barrels to augment the cuvée in this vintage. Regardless, Laurent has again fashioned an outstandingly deep and powerful Gevrey, with lots of concentrated plummy fruit, meaty, animal complexity and sweet, round tannins. Aulne means Alder.
“❤ Outstanding. Unusually for a Ponsot wine there is a touch of menthol present on the more deeply pitched aromas of underbrush, warm earth, the sauvage and dark currant aromas. There is both fine definition and underlying tension to the delicious and attractively textured flavors that exude a subtle minerality on the dusty and youthfully austere finale. This is also quite good for its appellation and worth considering.”
2016 Domaine Ponsot Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot Cuvée du Cèdre
Another shining example of its vineyard, Ponsot’s Vougeot derives from 0.4 hectares of vines (spread across three parcels) on the upper slope, averaging 50 years of age. These vines are on the western edge of the vineyard, very near Grands-Échezeaux, “…behind the château like everyone else,” quips Laurent. In other words, forget about the location, the wine speaks for itself. It’s a Vougeot of tremendous finesse with profound depth of fruit and structure, yet a very fine touch. It shows wonderful class for this appellation with pure, smoky, dark cherry and blackcurrant fruit sweetness entwined with subtle, earthy ferrous notes and powder-fine tannins. Great detail and class and length. Cèdre means Cedar.
2016 Laurent Grand Cru Griotte-Chambertin Cuvée du Saule
Ponsot has farmed just under a hectare of vines in En Griotte since the early 1980s. Griotte is a tiny, 2.7-hectare site, completely surrounded by the other Grand Crus of Gevrey. The Ponsot vines are now 30 years old. From yields of just 17 hl/ha this stunning, exquisitely sculpted wine is loaded to the hilt with red and dark cherry fruit, as well as plenty of floral and spice characters, and a texture that is much deeper and fleshier than what is typical of this terroir. Just a brilliant release for this wine. Wonderful now but with a decade plus of positive aging ahead of it. A saule is a willow.
“Airy and cool aromas are comprised by notes of black cherry, raspberry, spice and newly turned earth. There is flat out superb intensity to the mineral-driven and sleekly muscular middle weight plus flavors that possess a more sophisticated mouthfeel before concluding in a dusty, serious, palate coating and ultra-saline finish that goes on and on. Note however that this beauty of a Griotte is markedly firm and will not be an especially inviting early drinker.”
Until 2015, Ponsot’s rarely seen Chambertin was only offered to clients as part of the exclusive 12-pack Assortiment de Grands Crus. As such, only a tiny clique of privileged Burgundy nuts will have tasted the wine. Now you can join that club! This comes from a minuscule, 0.14-hectare strip of vines running from the bottom almost to the top of the vineyard, located at the dead centre of the Chambertin AOC. Ponsot has always produced thrilling reds here; we have tasted back to 1990 in the past, and the 2016 is no exception. Chêne, of course, refers to an oak tree.
“This is the first wine to exhibit any appreciable amount of reduction and it's enough to overshadow the underlying fruit at present. Otherwise there is an almost painful intensity to the even more mineral-driven big-bodied flavors that offer strikingly good persistence if not quite the same depth on the youthfully austere finish. Still the underlying material appears to be of excellent quality and thus more complexity will almost certainly develop.”
2016 Laurent Ponsot Grand Cru Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Cuvée du Frêne
Another rarity that was often not made available to Australia and only sold in the mixed dozen collection of Grand Crus offered each year in tiny qualities. It is another benchmark Gevrey Grand Cru that sits comfortably alongside this producer’s Le Chambertin. A really classy, redcurrant-and-violet-noted Bèze with the stuffing and structure to ensure a very long life. A frêne is an ash tree.
“An appealingly airy and wonderfully spicy nose reflects the cool and elegant essence of red currant and plenty of floral elements that include violet, lavender and an interesting hint of acacia. The strikingly sleek yet imposingly sized flavors possess perhaps the best delineation of any wine in the range while delivering excellent length on the refined, focused and beautifully persistent finale. This classy effort should amply reward extended cellaring.”
2016 Laurent Ponsot Grand Cru Clos Saint Denis Cuvée du Merisier
As we have noted, under the Domaine Ponsot label, the Clos Saint Denis Tres Vieilles Vignes emerged as one of the great unicorn Burgundies, famed for both its quality and scarcity. As of 2016 this wine lives solely in the Laurent Ponsot stable. It comes from exactly the same vines that produced the Tres Vieilles Vignes wines at Domaine Ponsot—a 0.44-hectare parcel in the Clos planted in 1905 that Ponsot has farmed since 1982. As the vines are so old, the yields are minuscule and so is the production. Only a privileged few get to taste this wine, let alone receive a bottle, which goes some way to explain the pricing. The quality also helps with this explanation. Raised in Ponsot’s oldest (refurbished) barrels originally coopered in 1945, the 2016 Clos St Denis is a mind-boggling wine. It’s incredibly dense, layered and complex with all sorts of exotic spice, musk, red fruits (mostly grenadine), a deep, opulent texture and a super long, rich yet energetic, powdery close. The energy and detail stands up to anything I’ve tasted in Burgundy. Despite the obvious power, nobility reigns. Merisier means cherrywood.
“❤ Don't Miss! As was often the case when this wine was part of the Domaine Ponsot portfolio, it possesses the most complex nose in the range with a gorgeous breadth of elements that include plenty of spice, earth, floral and Asian-style tea, all of which add interest to the liqueur-like dark berry scents. There is impressive density to the sappy middle weight plus flavors thanks to the copious level of dry extract that mostly, if not completely, buffers the very firm tannic spine supporting and shaping the hugely long finish. I very much like the silky mid-palate mouthfeel though this does not lack for power and punch on the imposingly structured finale. Patience.”
The 2016 Whites
2016 Laurent Ponsot Saint-Romain Cuvée de la Passiflore
The 2016 is the first, and last, vintage of this Saint-Romain as Laurent Ponsot has now decided to focus on Meursault for his white range. If you’re reading this Laurent, we implore you to reconsider! Nestled in an elevated valley behind Auxey-Duresses, Ponsot’s stony, rugged source vineyard is typical of Saint-Romain’s cool, limestone-rich terroir. Typical terroir—atypical quality (as you would expect from Ponsot). This one-off wonder (from the same source as the Domaine’s Cuvée de la Mésange) is so pulpy and intense for the appellation, with mouthwatering freshness and flinty minerals rising though the wine’s seductive, extract-rich texture. Passiflore means passionflower. Really lovely white Burgundy.
“A more restrained nose is cooler still with notes of green apple, citrus zest and a lovely floral hint There is once again good verve and even better delineation to the lightly mineral-inflected lighter weight flavors that terminate in a dry and focused finale that offers acceptable length.”
2016 Laurent Ponsot Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne Cuvée du Kalimeris
Ponsot’s Corton-Charlemagne is drawn from parcels spanning both Aloxe and Pernand that Laurent had worked with previously while at Domaine Ponsot. This is yet another outstanding Corton from Laurent Ponsot. It comes from a spread of mature plots—Ponsot calls it a “universal” Corton-Charlemagne—and is a wine of serious class, depth and length, as the note below makes clear. A kalimerisis a member of the sunflower family.
“The 2016 Corton-Charlemagne from Laurent Ponsot was still in tank at the time of my visit and destined for bottling the following week. This is from a couple of different parcels in the vineyard than Laurent had worked with previously while at Domaine Ponsot, but he has once again found some outstanding fruit and this is a brilliant young example of the appellation! The bouquet is deep, reserved and nearly bottomless, offering up scents of apple, white peach, chalky soil tones, spring flowers, just a touch of lemon blossom and again a lovely, esthery topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and full-bodied, with great intensity at the core, racy acids and stunning backend mineral drive and energy on the young, racy and complex finish. Stunning juice. 2023-2060.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.