Medium-plus colour. The first sniff is disappointing – high-toned and alcoholic – but it soon slips into an interesting and deep impression of dark cherry fruit. Good acidity and plenty of well covered tannin, good dimension too. The finish is a very long diminuendo
Potel Nicolas
2005 Potel Nicolas Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts
Understated, edgy, coffee-tinged fruit on the nose – the nose never really expands in our time together. Roll this concentrated wine around in your mouth and you get sweet, dense fruit and many dimensions of flavour. The wine still seems to be opening out as you move from the mid-palate into the finish – a peacock’s tail.
2005 Potel Nicolas Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltroie
2005 Potel Nicolas Puligny-Montrachet Champs-Canet
This wine hails from the Meursault side of the appellation. The nose is narrower, tigher and more melon influenced – it really doesn’t give any clues to the label. The palate is quite opulent, almost 2003 in delivery – though with much better acidity. On the finish there is still a texture from the oak – nothing major, and it will probably be gone within 6 months. Again this is a rich, powerful wine that today shows none of the classic Puligny tension.
2005 Potel Nicolas Meursault Les Genevrières
2005 Potel Nicolas Nuits St.Georges
A fresh and forward, though initially slightly diffuse nose of predominantly red fruit – becomes more interesting and ‘coulis’ in style in the glass. The concentrated palate strikes a masculine pose. Good acidity and intensity too. The finish is a good one, there’s nothing wimpy about this rather ‘honest’ bottle of Nuits. Recommended.
2005 Potel Nicolas Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze
2005 Potel Nicolas Gevrey-Chambertin
This wine also starts a little slowly the glass, but after a short while the aromatics become quite interesting with faint coffee supporting a nice black fruit profile. In the mouth this is very wide and concentrated with a little grain to the tannin. There’s real mid-palate intensity and just a little oak texture on the long finish. Very high-class villages.
2005 Potel Nicolas Bonnes-Mares
A deep nose that also shows quite some width. Warming and swirling fills in the picture with some higher toned notes. Big and impressive in the mouth with chocolate covered fruits and a wave of tannin that keeps abreast of the fruit. Incredibly impressive stuff, but for my own preference it’s just a little brutal today. Really impressive stuff.