Tasted in Fleurie with new team Poncié – 19 February 2024.
Château Poncié
Lieu-dit Poncié
69820 Fleurie
Tel: +33 4 74 69 83 33
Domaine Instagram
www.chateaudeponcie.fr
More reports with Château Poncié
Joseph Bouchard is no-longer part of the team here though has been working on a consultancy basis. The new winemaker, responsible from 2024, used to work with Lafarge-Vial. ‘2023 is a change in terms of vinification – all the vines are now organic certified in this vintage – except the Brouilly which is still in conversion.‘
On 2023:
“Yes, 2023 was a good vintage – we will have all our usual cuvées – we have alson added some new barrel elevage to the cuvées too – 5-10% – but there are also foudres, concrete tanks and eggs too. ”
On 2022:
“Our 22s are only just bottled and most are still in Beaune – but from the 23 vintage, all will be bottled here. There is no Hautes de Py in 22 – we felt that the quality was not there. The cuverie is 99% finished now – and looks great. There’s renovation underway for the chateau to receive guests too. The wines were bottled towards the end of 2023.”
The wines…
A small range to taste today – but a very good one…
2022 Fleurie 949
The assembly grapes around the domaine, a small amount of barrel elevage included. Only some sulfur at bottling time. ‘Accessible and easy to drink is our target for this wine’
Good scale and intensity – a nose of volume. In the mouth too – this has fine texture and a nice precision – starting direct before widening over the palate. The tannin shows itself as a small grain in the middle and finishing flavours. A breadth of tasty flavour with some discreet bitters in the finish. This is very good!
2022 Fleurie Les Moriers
Largest proprietors here with 3.5 ha – the side of the hill that looks towards Moulin à Vent. Not the last harvested, though it’s close, despite north, north-east facing vines, as the hill dominates the MAV plain below and always gets the first and last rays of the sun. 50 – 85 year-old vines, not always very high yielding as the grapes are quite small. Extra elevage here vs the last. 25 hl/ha in this vintage
A darker red fruit, fine and precise and with a very appealing floral perfume too – this is a great invitation. A more structural wine – the tannin more pronounced but with virtually no grain. Broad, lithe muscle and fine intensity – that’s a simply excellent wine – keep it a year or two if you can – but there’s just a little barrel showing in the very last flavours today!
2022 Cote de Brouilly Le Pavé
Second vintage – the harvest all assembled in small cases – 92-year-old vines and 1.8 hectares worth. Previously worked in a ‘conventional’ manner and since last year already in conversion to organic
More direct with higher, also perfumed, tones. Here is a fresher, more structural wine – I like! A really lovely finishing intensity. This is excellent and I think I’d keep it a little longer than the Morriers – but I also think this is my favourite today!