Region : Bourgogne Franc

Grapes : 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol : 13%vol

🌟 Maison Nicolas Potel | The Starting Point of the Late Legendary Winemaker

🌟 Barrel-Aged Chardonnay, Creamy, Smooth, and Layered

🌟 Legendary Estate Background X One of the Wineries Designated for French Presidential State Banquets

Background

From Allen Meadows' Burghound: "Gorgeous ruby.Strong reduction blocks the nose though the flavors are very rich, full and intense with a frank, complex and serious finish that displays moderate rusticity."

Nicolas Potel is one of the new breed of young and dynamic Burgundy négociants. After the sudden death of Nicolas’s father Gerard Potel in 1997 and the subsequent sale of his Domaine de la Pousse d’Or,Nicholas started his own business based near Nuits Saint Gerorges. Nicolas has converted many of his growers to organic practises following his philosophy; “I think that to make good wines, the less you modify them during vinification,the better it is. That means that I prefer a more sensitive wine-making than a work made according to analysis results. The grapes are systematically picked out, so that in the one hand, bad grapes are removed, and on the other hand, we can precisely evaluate the vintage quality. One of the most important ideas of my philosophy is to avoid any type of products as yeast, bacteria, enzyme or acid. The only one I (allow myself to) use is sugar.” Nicolas Potel has gone from strength to strength since they started a short 10 years ago (1997). He is definitely one of the top up and coming winemakers from Burgundy.

Maison Nicolas Potel has built its international reputation by making wines from the most beautiful lands of the region. Our Villages, Premiers Crus and Grands Crus are famous and recommended all over the world since they reveal the purity of grapes, their authentic appellations and native lands.

Vinification

Grape harvest is a crucial moment: fruits are selected in order to eliminate unwanted grapes, and also to evaluate precisely the quality of the harvest. This will help us to work afterwards.

During every wine making, we taste the cuvées twice or three times a day, so as to follow their aromatic evolution. After winding removal, we softly press with a vertical wine-press, and then we settle the liquid before filling the barrels.

A Traditionnal Maturing

In cellar, we have choosen to avoid the maximum of interference, that is to say if one leaves the must to settle enough in a way of opting for a maturing of between 12 to 16 months on the fine lees,without racking and a minimum of SO2, a protection for the carbonic gas and a late malolactic fermentation. All our wines are drawn off just before bottling and blended in the vats in such a way that it will have the same uniformity in the bottle.The old fashioned racking: the wines are drawn off by th"Broquereau", that is to say the openong is at the end of the barrel, with the aid of the funnel. That allows to push them without the aid of a pump and to finish off the racking with a "tastevin" in order to be very precise on the brillance of the wine. That is to say, well separated from the lees, and as important for the non-filtrered.

We follow the bio-dynamic calendar and try to follow our wines in their style, either on root days in order to respect the best of their individuality.

Wines Selection

From grape selection to bottling, we particularly care about the expression of terroirs, so as to deliver their aromatic characteristics in every bottle of wine. We usually take into account the quality of the soils, the work of our partner winegrowers, and also the health and exposure of vines.

We carry out meticulous researches and parcels follow-upslong before. First of all, we execute a visual work, thanks to our winegrowers'information. Then we act more technically, with winegrowing follow-up, in order to advise our partners about various decisions we will take concerning the vine parcels.

Respecting grapes

A quality wine is, above all, a natural wine. This is why we interfere as less as possible during wine making. Indeed, since each year is different, we think that adapting our wine making style for every vintage is important. As a result, we focus on taste and sensitive aspects more than analysis results or wine making forms.

Tasting Notes:

Medium to full-bodied with a silky texture and refreshing acidity. Opens with citrus zest and white floral notes, followed by hints of vanilla, toasted hazelnut, and wet stone. A  touch of vanilla linger through a long, harmonious finish.