Another day, another Charmes. Laurent Ponsot tells me that the market has taken very well to his Ardea seals, and given three corked wines at a recent vertical tasting of his Clos de la Roche VV he remains absolutely sure that this was the only way to go. I still have a lot of problems to remove them from the bottle, but this wine was certainly worth a little travail…

2009 Ponsot, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is quite different to yesterday’s M&P Rion; narrow, yet it plumbs impressive depth; redder with a note of cherry stones – blind, you would be unlikely to pick this as a 2009. In the mouth this has some fat, but there’s also a beautiful line of acidity that runs through the core of the wine. The crystalline fruit seems equally bright and quite fleet of foot too – nothing vaguely ponderous here. Quite long on a fading mineral note. Considering he’s such a late picker I have no idea how Laurent delivers such minerality in a vintage like 2009, but chapeau! Excellent wine that is far from the vintage stereotype.
Rebuy – Yes