Tasted with Alexandre Abel in Morey St.Denis, 03 October 2022
Domaine Ponsot
21, rue de la Montagne
21220 Morey Saint Denis
Tel: +33 3 80 34 32 46
www.domaine-ponsot.com
More reports with Domaine Ponsot
I’ve missed a couple of vintages here – but it was good to be back.
Alexandre on 2022:
“Very happy with 2022 – a much better volume too, than 2021 – we have about 25 hl/ha which for us is fine…”
Alexandre on 2021:
“In 2021 we started to harvest 28 September. It’s about a quarter of a harvest – Morey was a catastrophe – only 8-9 hl/ha here. Some parts were less affected but, in general, we hope we don’t have vintages like this too often – but we really see, it’s flagrant, the terroir differences in 2021. The villages start quite lite but the energy and concentration mount impressively as you head higher in the classifications.”
The wines…
The 2020s excepted, all tasted from barrel – at this stage the wines had more elevage to finish – but what super wines – I’m sure my notes are conservative!
The best of Morey with half a harvest as the aligoté is not the earliest of vines to start growing.
Now that’s an attractive nose. Vibrant, intense, beautifully shaped – shimmering, almost dynamic wine – faintly creamy too – bravo! That’s a beauty – yes I think it’s almost ready says Alexandre.
2 parcels – grapes and must – Pernand/Charlemagne and Languettes
Fine aromatic volume – pure, precise and quite some pineapple component. A wine that starts easy but broadens and comes into great focus. Detailed, mineral – extra complexity – yes it’s an impressive step up with more tension here. Great Charlemagne.
2021 Morey St.Denis 1er Monts Luisants Blanc
Narrower, deeper, clearly very mineral. Here is a weight of flavour and ripeness of fruit but never too much. Slowly mouth-watering. That’s a big wine and one I’d wait longer for – initially – than the Charlemagne. Very impressive.
Les Reds:
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée de Abeille
From Epointures below Chapelle and Mazis
Here is a modest colour but the aromatics are forward, slightly of graphite and cushioned red fruit, faintly spiced – air adding a subtle perfume too. Good shape, clean flavour – there’s clarity and good focus to these flavours. Wide and moreishly finishing
Top of Clos Mont Luisants – here almost 350m vs 220 for the Gevrey but in 21 the harvest was only 2 days later – we brought everything in quite quickly in 2021.
A more compelling nose, of depth and interesting complexity – that’s very attractive. Supple, silky, more direct and growing in intensity too. I love the clarity of the slightly darker fruit – simply excellent – in fact in 2021 that’s a great villages! But only 15 hl/ha…
2021 Corton Cuvée du Bourdon
Paulands & Clos du Roi – this year about 50-50.
Not a large nose, some width but some obvious silk too – slowly starting to evolve some fine floral perfume – that’s lovely. Mouth-filling, architecturally shaped, clarity and beautifully mouthwatering – ooh that’s really super – delicious, elegant Corton – absolute finesse here – beautiful wine.
2021 Corton-Bressandes
Again, a nose of more modest proportions but also a more robust nose top start – then like the previous the glass fills up with more perfume – violets. Extra power but still a wine that’s very accessible, layered and has an almost creamy old-vine style to the finishing flavours – they are middle-age says Alexandre but yes, we always see this rounder creamier style in Bressandes.
2021 Chapelle-Chambertin
Slightly stricter, more focused darker fruit aromatics. A little gas here but a wine that unfurls over the palate, faintly tannic and darker fruited. It’s the shape and modest minerality that show to the fore today but then there’s a fine burst of mouth-watering, finishing, energy – persistence too. Slight versus the hot years but a beauty.
2021 Morey St.Denis 1er Cuvée Alouettes
The next rows to grand cru Clos de la Roche…
Ooh – now here’s plenty of colour! The nose is actually faintly of gas and reduction – the malo is not 100% finished here. Fine direction, and also of intensity. A little grain of tannin but ‘enhanced’ also by the remaining malic acid. The concentration and intensity are clear. This will be excellent – I’m sure!
2021 Clos de la Roche
Deep colour again – less than 10 hl/ha. Now here’s a nose to draw you in; dark fruit, faintly cushioned, silken, perhaps a support of minerality too – greater and greater with air. Sits well in the mouth – silky but also a faint frame of tannin. I love the direction and fine texture here – the dark, clean, juicy fruit too – and what length. Clearly a wine of class, no fat but beautifully athletic.
And for the road, why not a few from 2020?
“It was half a harvest – we started 28 August – one month earlier than in 2021 – and with a couple of pauses we finished 8-9 September, or so. Surprisingly we have very similar acidity to 2021 despite the hot, dry year… They were bottled from April.”
2020 Morey St.Denis Cuvée des Grives
A nose that starts tight, only slowly opening, clearly red fruit in style. The fruit is very appealing and mouth-watering, framed with a modest grain of tannin. Juicily finishing, a delicious wine already today despite a hint of tannin.
2020 Morey St.Denis 1er Cuvée Alouettes
This bottled in August, just before the 21 harvest
Like the 21 lots of colour. Very different in style more like a fresh almond aroma in the aromatics here. Concentrated, juicy – this is a big wine with the faintest accent of green herb/pyrazine but complex and exciting. I can drink this today but I’d really be waiting for 10 years…
2020 Chapelle-Chambertin
Ooh – now that’s fine – open, fresh, dark red fruit – just a beautiful precision. Great shape – it’s the combination of the cascade of mouth-watering flavour and the large scale and structure. Intense finishing – a great finish – simply excellent Chapelle!
Also bottled in August
Starting with lots of aromatic depth though tighter above. Extra broad, almost a panorama to these flavours. The fruit cooler and very expressive – I see more minerality and tinier dark fruit that just keeps your mouth watering. The finish is not powerful, rather it is haunting, I think potentially a great wine!
In bottle since April.
Also starting compact in the glass but slowly growing with exposure to air – a nice floral perfume starts to show itself. Hmm – good volume – not fat, rather mouth-watering, slightly honied and beeswax flavoured, then a vibrant and mouth-watering finish – infused with all the flavours and aromas – really long too! This is clearly a very great aligoté!