Bills Top Ten « Burgundy Forum

Burgundy Forum » General Burgundy Discussion

Bills Top Ten

(21 posts) (10 voices)

Started 2 years ago by Will Cashman
Latest reply from GrapesofMath

Tags:

No tags yet.

Will Cashman
Member

Hi Bill,

I was having a quick look at the Big Red Diary just there and noticed you're 'Top 10' section. It's interesting that your top 10 wines over the years have all been from the most recent releases? Is this by design, or is it just a co-incidence or do you think the wines are more 'impressive' in their youthful stage?

Each year my top wines would probably be some of the more mature examples that I have enjoyed, whilst also including a few very impressive young wines as well.

Just a thought...

Cheers,
Will

Posted 2 years ago #
Antoine
Member

Yes Bill, I agree! I had noticed that, with all this talk about Burgundy needing 25+ years of bottle age, Bill and many others often rave about very young wines!...

Maybe, part of the explanation is that, while young wines are still available and claims that they are fabulous is useful, readers may not feel as much interest in reading about wines they can't anyway find? Curious to hear about it

Posted 2 years ago #
bill nanson
admin

Hi Team,
Explanation: I think the value of the top ten is that there is some small chance that you might be able to buy the wines. Last year I had a lovely 78 Musigny and a 90 La Tache that spring to mind that are clearly wines that would be in a top 10, but not a top 10 of wines you can buy - make more sense? Not so much a value judgement as more an availability call...

Posted 2 years ago #
Rick Dalia
Member

Speaking of your top 10, Bill, do you happen to know if N. Potel has any USA importers for his Domaine Bellene product? I suppose I could endure the horrible exchange rate at present and shipping cost, but would prefer not...

Posted 2 years ago #
bill nanson
admin

Rick Dalia said:
Speaking of your top 10, Bill, do you happen to know if N. Potel has any USA importers for his Domaine Bellene product? I suppose I could endure the horrible exchange rate at present and shipping cost, but would prefer not...

Hi Rick - no sorry. I try to avoid all that rather grubby commercial stuff ;o)

Posted 2 years ago #
burgundyfan
Member

I was last weekend in Beaune and had a degustation with Sylvain at N. Potels new domaine de Bellene. At the moment the Volnay Santenot is now a little bit stronger than the Volnay Clos de Chene. I'm with Bill this Volnays are just great stuff.

Posted 2 years ago #
emile
Member

Rick, I can facilitate you having access to this bottling in Bay Area:

Domaine Potel Bourgogne Rouge 'Maison Dieu' 2007
"This is the oldest parcel owned by the Domaine, bought by my parents in 1978, situated in the commune of Pommard and planted in 1928. This is an old massale selection producing small, concentrated berries which always produce a well-balanced wine. Organically farmed since 1992, this parcel was our first reference point to evaluate the high quality of fruit resulting from organic viticulture. 2007 Harvest Notes: This is a precocious parcel, but we waited for optimal maturity, so we harvested in early September. One vatting was whole cluster, the other destemmed, which brings complexity to the wine. Both vattings lasted 28 days with treading, crushing by foot, of the grapes and light pumping over. Aged in second- and third-use barrels, the wine was bottled without racking in September 2008. Production was 15,438 bottles and 120 magnums."
—Nicolas Potel

2007 is unique, of course, in that it is the first and only vintage of Domaine Potel label.

We could have your local retailer bring the wine in specifically for you(the wine is currently in inventory in Northern California). Cost would be somewhere around $22-25 per bottle depending on your local retailer's mark-up. I assure you this price is significantly discounted based on Ex-Cellar price from Nicholas Potel in addition to the "normal" import, wholesale, and retailer mark-ups in the USA. The 2007 wines from Domaine Potel, while extemely well made, were not inexpensive.

8313254240 is my cell. You phoned me previously when discussing purchasing Jasper Morris' book.

I have yet to see 2008 vintage wines from the Domaine in USA.

Posted 2 years ago #
Claude Kolm
Member

As of last November, it appeared that there would be no Domaine/Roche de Bellène(estate or negociant) importer for the USA. All the wines had already been sold to other markets.

Posted 2 years ago #
bill nanson
admin

Finally got around to adding some for this year.
There's one DRC, giving you a chance to pre-order...
But there was no point including the 66 DRC Echezeaux or 1990 GE was there ;o)

Posted 2 years ago #
njbruce
Member

Hi Claude,
I bel;ieve that US importer hiatus is related to the problems with the Cottin severance. I believe from 09/2010 Nicolas will be working with Dr. Ernie Loosen to distribute his wines in the US.
Nigel

Posted 2 years ago #
emile
Member

njbruce,
I am assuming you are referring to Maison Nicholas Potel.
I have yet to see Maison Ptotel 2008s in the US.
Of course, Nicholas did not finish a vintage of wines with Maison Potel after the 2007 vintage.

Does anyone know who will/who does import Domaine Bellene into the US now?

Posted 2 years ago #
Claude Kolm
Member

Nigel and Emile -- You seem to be talking about different producers: Nigel appears to be referring to Domaine de Bellène/Roche de Bellène -no? - which are Nicolas's current projects. Emile, you seem to be talking about Maison Nicolas Potel, which is the Cottin Frères and where Nicolas used to be. Knowing the book of Loosen Bros, I'd be surprised to see them pick up the Cottin/Maison Nicolas Potel wines, not at all surprised, and in fact delighted, to see them pick up Nicolas's current wines. Nothing on the Loosen Bros. website about it, though, nor on the Domaine de Bellène or Maison Nicolas Potel websites.

Posted 2 years ago #
emile
Member

Claude,
Thanks for your response.
I am speaking of both.
The last vintage Nicholas made in entirity for Maison Potel, owned by the Cottin Freres, was 2007. That same vintage, 2007, was the first Domaine Potel, now Domaine de Bellene, was imported into the US.

I have seen neither Maison Potel nor Domaine de Bellene wines in the US beginning with 2008 vintage.

Posted 2 years ago #
Claude Kolm
Member

emile said:
Claude,
Thanks for your response.
I am speaking of both.
The last vintage Nicholas made in entirity for Maison Potel, owned by the Cottin Freres, was 2007. That same vintage, 2007, was the first Domaine Potel, now Domaine de Bellene, was imported into the US.

I have seen neither Maison Potel nor Domaine de Bellene wines in the US beginning with 2008 vintage.

Exactly. I visit Nicolas each autumn. As I indicated above, last November Nicolas told me no US importer for his new Bellène wines, and all sold out, so there will be no US importer. The Nigel indicates Loosen (Bros.), which my post posits must be for Bellène and not Maison Nicolas Potel. But no confirmation on the internet, so we'll have to await further announcements/developments. I did review 2008 Maison Nicolas Potel from barrel (and a few from bottle) and they were of quality.

As for Maison Nicolas Potel, I guess it still exists as Berry's offers some 2009s, but wine-searcher (non-pro version) shows none in the US (nor any Bellène/Roche de Bellène 2009).

Posted 2 years ago #
njbruce
Member

Hi Claude,
My news is very recent - Nicolas and Ernie Loosen met up in Shanghai recently and the deal was firmed up. This is from his HK agent, who was with him. I don't think this is a secret, just a very new development. Interestingly Nicolas was asked by one Shanghai merchant to sell him a container load of his top wines. He was unable to deliver, as these are all sold out.
Re. Maison Nicolas Potel, it will be interesting to see how long the Cottins can keep that pretence up. Can anyone think of a parallel situation where a fairly young winemaker moves on and those investors who severed their links with him/her just carried on selling wines under the same name?
Nigel

Posted 2 years ago #
Claude Kolm
Member

Nigel -- The prime example of selling one's name and then moving on (more specifically, selling the company that bore his name) that I can think of was Alexis Lichine. He later said that he greatly regretted having sold his name; in fact, I think he said it was the biggest mistake he ever made.

In California, it is quite common to have vineyard sources and winemakers change so that what comes out under a given label bears no resemblance to the wines made that label famous. Offhand, I can't think of that occurring with the name of the winemaker, but then I don't follow CA wine very much; I'm sure someone else can come up with an example.

And of course, France is rife with siblings who split up and go their separate ways, sometimes with one often maintaining the name of the father and the other starting under his own name: e.g., Louis and Pierre (Lucien) Boillot, Régis and René Bouvier, the Carillon brothers, etc.

Posted 2 years ago #
njbruce
Member

Hi Claude,
The inheritance issues still tend to keep the wine in the family - or with the in-laws! If families agree to sell up and exit the winemaking business, I suppose they might sell the name, too. But there is rarely the kind of reincarnation on the same turf Nicolas Potel has engaged in, while taking most of his suppliers/growers with him, where his name goes on being used on a diminishing number of wines that are hardly garnering praise. Indeed, I noticed that the 2008 Clos Vougeot event reoported in the WOFW has the "Nicolas Potel" CV in last place - out of 58 wines.

Posted 2 years ago #
bill nanson
admin

njbruce said:
I noticed that the 2008 Clos Vougeot event reoported in the WOFW has the "Nicolas Potel" CV in last place - out of 58 wines.

The perfect example of relinquishing (losing!) control.

Nicky always made a worthy version. He was there for the harvesting and his team were there for the first months of the elevage, but what went into the bottles could be a blend of CV from anywhere or indeed none of that the 'old team' elevaged. We can never know...

There is a level of short-term thinking in some parts of the wine business that wouldn't care that this might be the last bottle of 'NP' somebody buys - the only important thing as that they sell this bottle!

Posted 2 years ago #
Claude Kolm
Member

Not completely analogous, Nigel, but there is the collection of labels that Boisset has bought up over the years. One, Jaffelin, used to be owned by Drouhin and produced very good wines. Others had proud histories further back and brought some distinguished vineyards with them -- now grouped under the Domaine de Vougeraie label. So what does one get these days under the labels of Bouchard Aîné, Ponnelle, Viénot or Mommesin?

Posted 2 years ago #
bmcq
Member

bill nanson said:
There is a level of short-term thinking in some parts of nearly every business that wouldn't care that this might be the last unit of X somebody buys - the only important thing as that they sell this unit!

Posted 2 years ago #
GrapesofMath
Member

Potel will most likely be imported into the USA by Loosen Bros. USA. I can confirm Nigel's reporting.

Posted 2 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.