Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles-Vignes 2008 (AM:91)

Innovation is the name of the game for Domaine Ponsot, which has a rich history of originality and boundary-pushing. Founded in 1872 by William Ponsot, the estate was passed to his nephew Hippolyte Ponsot in 1926, and at the time included holdings in Clos des Monts Luisants and Clos de la Roche, planted with Aligote which was unusual for a time when most white wine production in Burgundy leant towards the more economically-viable Chardonnay grape.
The domaine began estate bottling in 1934 – another rarity for the time and something only a handful of domains did prior to the Second World War. Ponsot’s wines started selling in the US, with the first labels hand-stamped and signed by Hippolyte himself.
Hippolyte retired in 1957, passing the estate to his son, Jean-Marie Ponsot, who began working with several new parcels of land in Chambolle-Musigny, Chambertin and Latricieres-Chambertin under a metayage agreement. The estate expanded further in 1972 after Jean-Marie’s wife inherited vines in Gevrey.
In 1981, Jean-Marie’s son Laurent began working at the estate, and played a key role in the expansion of the domaine’s metayage agreements, which saw Griotte Chambertin, Clos St Denis and Chambolle Les Charmes added to the mix.
Laurent manages the estate to this day, taking an organic and biodynamic approach to the making of Ponsot’s wines, which are extremely well regarded the world over. So much so, in fact, that the Ponsot brand was at the centre of the Rudy Kurniawan counterfeit wine scandal, where Laurent himself – who takes an active interest in tracking down fraudsters – flew to the US to ensure the counterfeit lots were pulled.

Appellation:
AOC Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Bourgogne

Country of Origin:
Burgundy, France

Type:
Red/Rouge (Still)

Grape Variety:
Pinot Noir

Tasting Notes:
There is a subtle but certainly not invisible touch of brett to the otherwise cool, ripe and complex aromas of plum, red and dark berries, earth and plenty of spice nuances. There is both good volume and energy to the well-detailed broad-shouldered flavors that culminate in an edgy and mildly drying finale. It's hard to know how much of the problem with the finish is attributable to the brett as often there is gas when there is brett which causes the supporting tannins to seem more prominent. My score is a compromise as this is not a bad wine but it's obviously not technically perfect. Moreover it's entirely possible that other bottles would show quite differently if there was no brett. I will have totry another bottle to see if the problem is limited to just this bottle or whether it's systemic.