2010 Domaine des Chezeaux Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru (3/9/2013)
Much more high toned red fruit than the 2009. More acidity and tartness but there is some sweetness and also a little spice. Tannins are more noticeable and it’s a bit more austere. Also nice. Will be fun to compare the 09 and 10 side by side in the future.
Posted from CellarTracker
Fred,
Really ignorant question but how do you feel about the new corks?
I have purchased a Mag of Ponsot Corton but for some reason can’t get over the corks.
Any thought’s on them.
I’m not Fred - but I dislike them - but only for the reason I am practically too weak to remove them - but once they start moving…!
I’ve also broken the glass at the top of one bottle trying to do so (with the metal prongs of the ‘cork’ screw)
.
Clearly not sexy but if they help these age with less risk of seepage and decrease the chance of a corked wine, I can live with it.
That’s the way that I feel but am worried about adverse effects on the wine. I have had a number of wines with synthetic corks and they seem to taste different then wines with natural cork closures.
2010 Domaine des Chezeaux Griotte-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru (3/10/2013)
Dark, rich, sweet, red and blueberry fruit. There is massive weight here and seamless texture. The sweetness lingers. A big step up from the 1er Charmes.
I´m not Fred either … but
I´m very suspicious about the new plastic corks.
We have a long experience here in Austria with plastic closures - and the result was that - after some 1.5 / 2+ years - many got untight … and the wine oxidized completely over a short term. They are/were/remained simply not elastic enough …
Most producers now have changed to either screw-caps - or glass closures … which is perfectly fine for wines to be drunk young or over a few years.
I´m still unsure about aging qualities, but that´s to be seen.
Granted, our plastic corks were not the same used by Ponsot …
but IF these plastic corkes won´t hold perfectly tight the wines will be gone (just like premox in white Burgs) quite immediately.
I will not buy any Ponsot wines anymore - with the exception of single bottles bottle for tasting young (and maybe a single bottle Village for keeping over a decade or longer - just as an experiment).
Wow! Thanks for the info Gerhard. Depressing since I now own 10 bottles between 09 and 10. I thought someone had written somewhere that these corks could age but maybe I’m mistaken.
Guess I too will not be buying anymore unless someone someone posts evidence to the contrary regarding these ponsot corks.
Hi Fred - don’t be depressed.
As Gerhard notes, this is not the same plastic, so in this case extrapolating his previous experience to a new material is not very helpful.
New material? This is (it is said) the same plastic used in heart-valve replacement operations - you can imagine that the dimensional stability of such materials have been thoroughly researched before being allowed to be used in heart operations - insurance companies (and recipients!) wouldn’t want them to get ‘a bit loose’ now would they - even after 30 years 
Knowing Laurent Ponsot just a little bit, I wouldn’t expect his due diligence to be any less, particularly since he considers his GCs shouldn’t be assessed before they are 20 years old. I have no particular worries about longevity, just how I’m going remove the next damn one…
Well, I really don´t know … might be.
Well, even IF these corks remain tight (which I hope) the question remains HOW the wine will age.
The worst that can happen is that it doesn´t age at all - or only VERY slowly … that´s not the sense of cellaring it for years, decades …
It´s difficult enough to find Ponsots wines at human prices at all - so I won´t take a risk I don´t know much about … with the exception of maybe one or two Village bottles for experiment.
The cork is called the “Ardea” cork, a description can be found here:
I’m a believer. Based on what I have read and a video on the corks I have as much confidence in them as I do in natural corks. Its a 3 piece design, and the bottom cap part that is in contact with the wine is an inert medical grade plastic. The body of the cork has consistent porosity and is formed over an inner structure that should prevent compression over time.
Ponsot claims that the density of natural corks today is not consistent and can cause failure and premature aging of wines. The new cork has an almost uniform density and results in very predictable oxygen ingress over time. We just need to hop in our time machine and go forward 20 years to find out how they will hold up.
Here is the video:
Larry
Larry,
Thanks for the info. I have seen these both before but still I’m hesitant, yes 20 more years and we will find out. I know cork probably isn’t the sustainable option for future generations either though, so good on Laurent to try to find an alternative.
I have read/observed that Laurent is very concerned with the quality in the bottle (fakes, closures, ect.) and that he has spent years on developing them (or working on finding the product to retain quality) so I get a sense that they will come through…
But??? If they don’t work then he took one of those far out risks that didn’t pan out.I respect him more than the white maker whom know about PM but turn their heads while their wines are still priced at a premium.
Fingers crossed…