I’m sure some of you have seen JJ Buckley’s listing of theses older GC’s from Nicolas Potel’s negociant label.
1996 Maison Roche de Bellene Collection Bellenum Latricieres Chambertin
1997 Maison Roche de Bellene Collection Bellenum Chambertin
1997 Maison Roche de Bellene Collection Bellenum Clos de la Roche
1999 Maison Roche de Bellene Collection Bellenum Latricieres Chambertin
$120@ (a couple for a little less is you have a private email representative)
Thoughts? TN’s?
I see them for $100…
IMO:
1999 Maison Roche de Bellene Collection Bellenum Latricieres Chambertin–> great year, seems like a winner.
1997 Maison Roche de Bellene Collection Bellenum Chambertin → Chambertin for $100? I may be off base but seems like a relative value to have an aged Chambertin.
Funny, Warren I stared at this offer this morning. I’m curious of RdB wines live up to the vineyards they come from. These prices seem attractive enough to make it worth a shot. I’d love to hear some comments from folks that have tried RdB GCs from the 90s.
Only thing stopping me from really pulling the trigger is zero wine budget 
.
Count me as intrigued too, never had this producer but those are some mighty nice fruit sources.
If you’ve had Nicolas Potel wines then you have had this producer’s wines.
Not necessarily. He didn’t make these wines, right? He purchased them as finished wines, I am pretty sure.
I was under the impression he was making both the domaine wines as well as the wines from grapes purchased. But, of course, I could be wrong. It’s been known to happen.
I saw the offer and passed, not knowing the producer.
I guess the Collection wines are purchased wines from other cellars. I didn’t realize that. I was never impressed by the Potel wines so I have not spent any time or money on the Bellene wines.
Are there ‘Chambertin’ releases or older wines with provenance in the market for <$100. It is tough to do this search but strikes me as worth a try. I went in for this one.
I thought I read somewhere that these were most likely Remy. No different from Maison Leroy in that you are ‘in their hands’ for what they have selected to put their name on… except the pricing!
Are these the Remy wines that were kept after the sale to Leroy in the 80s?
EDIT:
These are great wines. Unfortunately they have been recorked and the failure rate is enormous. An absolute disgrace.
The chronology doesn’t work, if you look at the vintages offered.
No, this is a different Remy (Louis in Morey) - while Leroy purchased Philippe Remy (Gevrey) in 1989, related, but different …
… (IF the wines come from Remy at all)
I suppose N. Potel (Roche de Bellene, which only started in 2007/08 (?) - purchased finished bottles from anywhere (Remy?), put their label on it and sells them.
Usually they should have tasted everything first … and agreed with the quality , but I´m not THAT sure (from my experiences with other “Reserve” negociant bottles.
However at these prices I´d buy a single bottle and taste …
I believe Louis Remy and Philippe Remy are the same thing - one is the leftovers of the other.
No, I guess the family parted some decades ago (maybe brothers) and shared the vineyards … that´s why the Crus are very similar.
I visited the widow of Philippe Remy in Gevrey in 1988 and purchased some wines (good, not great) … I guess she died a year afterwards and Lalou Leroy took the chance.
Louis Remy in Morey is still active … lead by the daughter now …
Sorry, meant akin to Maison Leroy in the sense that we have no idea whats in the bottle aside from that Potel (or substitute Leroy) didn’t make it!
I’ve had a few Roche de Bellene Collection Bellenum wines, including the 1996 Latricieres about a year ago. At these prices I’d say they’re worth buying (esp the 1996 and 1999), as the wines are pretty good and conditions tend to be pretty excellent as they haven’t gone through years and years of questionable storage or changing too many hands.
The 1996 Latricieres in particular is a fine wine. Like many 1996 Grand Crus, I found it a till rather primary and structured. Dark colour, ripe red fruits, minerally, a little liqueurish, good acidity. I decided to let the bottle sit for a couple more years, but enjoyed it then.
OK - got it - sorry.