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.
Potel Nicolas
2005 Potel Nicolas Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Peuillets
2005 Potel Nicolas Volnay Caillerets
Medium-plus colour – almost purple. A wide and really interesting nose of black-shaded fruit over a base of coffee. The finest tannins yet – they are only faintly astringent, despite their abundance. The fruit on the palate is very clean and understated yet very long. This is a fantastic wine and worth a special search.
2005 Potel Nicolas Pommard Les Rugiens
A nose of real depth with forward black fruit and just a touch of reduction. The palate shows real concentration and plenty of tannin, but the tannin is amply covered by black shaded fruit. The fruit widens and widens into the finish. Large-scaled and concentrated without being over-blown. Impressive juice.
2005 Potel Nicolas Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.Jacques
Medium-plus colour. The nose is similar to the village gevrey – if anything tighter, more understated and consistent. Very intense; this is hard to keep in your mouth. Super acidity dovetails with plenty of tannin. Despite the concentration the personality is rather cool, clean, mineral and understated.
2005 Potel Nicolas Nuits St.Georges Les Pruliers
2002 Potel Nicolas Vosne-Romanée Les Gaudichots
Deeper ruby-red colour vs the 02 DRC 1er. The nose is sweeter with a hint of oak and cedar and perhaps just a trace of volatility. Beautiful texture, opens out over the palate very well. This wine in isolation a rather good, next to the DRC it’s lacking focus and precision. There is more density and intesity but not quite the length of the DRC. Today this comes a distant second, it will be interesting to make the test again in another ten years or so.
1999 Potel Nicolas Bourgogne Rouge 'Maison Dieu' Vieilles Vignes
First bottle corked, marginally, but corked. Medium ruby-red colour. The nose starts meaty, eventually giving up red berries – quite super as the bottle is finished. In the mouth it’s somewhat stodgy with acidity a little to the fore and noticeable tannin. It’s still almost good, but perhaps needs a couple more years in the cellar if ‘easy-drinking’ is your target – we’ll see.