LeDomduVin: The usual suspect - Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes Burgundy 2019

The usual suspect

Those who follow me know that I have opened this wine countless times over the last three years, hence my calling it “the usual suspect”!

What can I say? I love this wine; and it gets better every time I open it

Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes Burgundy 2019

It is still a young wine, and over the last three years, it has gone through “open and closed” phases. Yet, this time again, it was open and delicious!

Right after opening, attractive, exuberant scents emanated from the bottle. Dense and bright ruby color in the glass. Beautiful wild red and dark cherry, floral, spicy, lightly oaky aromas combined with mineral and earthy nuances filled the room.

The palate is bright, juicy, complex, layered, rich, yet delicate, elegant, sophisticated, and superbly balanced between the fruit, the acidity, and the integrated tannins. The structured and textured mid-palate leads to the seamless and lingering finish, which immediately calls for another glass. I looooove this wine.

In a recent conversation with a customer, I explained that as a Sommelier, I look for the “Wow!” factor in a wine; this instant gratification and satisfaction that makes you want another glass as soon as you finish the first one.

I love buying, serving, and drinking these types of wine, especially when there is an excellent quality/price ratio.

Wine does not have to be expensive to be good. Plenty of “supposedly” premium wines and established brands, such as Chateaux and Domaines, sell lesser wines, especially in lesser vintages.

Despite the price they command, even DRC or Petrus makes wines that are not worth the cost in lesser years.

For me, whether it costs 10 or 1000 euros, good wine must give you instant satisfaction and gratification and make you want to drink more. And this “Clos de La Roche Vieilles Vignes” from Domaine Ponsot does just that!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Domaine Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2016

Domaine Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2016

Along with Champagne Salon 2007 and Fontaine-Gagnard Batard-Montrachet 2020 (see previous posts), I also served Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2016.

Domaine Hubert Lignier needs no introduction. It is one of the unavoidable classic producers of Morey-Saint-Denis, one of the appellation's staples and one of Burgundy's most renowned and sought-after producers.

They produce wines from the Côte de Nuits (Clos de la Roche, Morey-St-Denis, Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Nuits-St-Georges) and some in Côte de Beaune (Pommard, Monthelie, Volnay).

"Their wines are authentic and sensual, expressing their own terroir," as Laurent Lignier (the son of Hubert), who now runs the Domaine, likes to say humbly.

The estate has followed organic practices since 2006 and was certified "Agriculture Biologique" (AB) in 2019.

Wine quality is directly linked to their vineyard, mainly consisting of old vines planted through massale selections. The oldest vines were planted in 1936. Since the 1990s, they have implemented soil cultivation practices such as plowing and hoeing, completely avoiding herbicides and insecticides.

The estate focuses on caring for the vines and preserving biodiversity in the face of climate change's impact on the vineyard and surrounding environment.

In the cellar, minimal intervention maintains the fruit's quality, balance, and complexity. Grapes are hand-harvested, sorted, fermented in tanks, and aged for almost two years in oak barrels with 20 to 30% new oak.

The wines are then racked and bottled by gravity without filtration or clarification. This results in balanced and refined wines with significant aging potential while remaining relatively approachable at a young age.

Their Clos de la Roche 2016 embodies the classic Burgundian style. It is attractive, light, ruby, and medium-bodied. It combines great fruit and terroir expression with elegance, complexity, precision, depth, freshness, structure, texture, and balance while maintaining a distinctive natural and ethereal quality. I loved it.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: 3 to Party

3 to party

The other night, I opened 3 bottles of these 3 beautiful wines for a private party. What a blast! 

Krug Vintage 2000

Krug 2000 is a rich and complex vintage champagne that mimics the uniqueness of the last year of the millennium. Nicknamed "Stormy Indulgence," it is dense and intense. Beyond its attractive pale golden color and fine bubbles, it boasts aromatics of yellow and stone fruits, mingling lightly toasted brioche, mineral stones, and sea breeze notes. The palate is gorgeous, rich, complex, layered, and lengthy. What a beauty! 

Louis Latour Batard Montrachet 2016

This wine exemplifies the exceptional aging potential of high-quality white burgundy, particularly those bearing the name "Montrachet". At 7 years old, this Bâtard-Montrachet from Louis Latour was at the perfect age for consumption. Its pale gold color is a sign of age, and yet, it possesses a youthful nose, boasting complex aromas of stone fruits and hints of vanilla mixed with smoky and toasty notes. The palate is medium to full-bodied, rich, and well-balanced, with hints of buttery, mineral, herbal and brioche nuances. The finish is refreshing, with a pleasant hint of saltiness and chalky minerality. Love it. 

Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 2019

Ponsot is a staple in my book, and this “Clos de le Rocche VV 2019” has been recurring in my choice of wine for different events over the past 10 months. Some may argue that it is too young and must be waited for a few years. And yet, it is such a good wine, and it has been so approachable these past months that I could not resist serving it again. Light in color, yet intense and dense in the nose and palate. The nose offers bright, freshly crushed wild red cherry aromas with floral, mineral, and earthy notes. Medium-bodied, the palate is vibrant, vivid, fresh, elegant, and refined, with a long, delightful finish. Love it. 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 2019

Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 2019

Opened 2 days ago for a private dinner, at the same time as the Batard-Montrachet from Jean-Noel Gagnard, about 1 hour prior, guests arrived. 

Attractive bright robe. The nose was initially shy, reserved and subdued, with fresh, earthy aromas of wild red cherries and some flower and herbal nuances. 

As I swirled my glass, the cellar temperature gradually changed to room temperature, allowing for a better expression of the aromas, which now seemed riper, almost candied, mingling with plummy, peppery, spicy and earthy notes. 

The palate was tight, too tight, maybe. Surely a sacrilege to open such a young wine with such potential, yet I could not resist the temptation when I made the selection for that night's dinner. 

The palate was delicate, refined and elegant but tight and light, almost lacking substance, weight and concentration. And yet, it was so beautifully balanced, textured and structured, with great acidity and a long, persistent finish. 

Very complex in a very subtle, light and earthy way at first. And yet, again, I could sense that it would open up, flesh out and be more ready within the next 2 hours. 

And it did. It was beautiful, graceful, dense, long, layered, and rich without being heavy. Savoury and earthy. It just needed some time to express itself. Loved it. 

It is not the first time I have had this impression of lightness, tightness and earthiness at opening with this producer. Ponsot only rewards the most patient of us. 

Those who know patience is a virtue never rush a great wine in its youth. 

Cheers! Santé!

Dom 

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