Let's fnd some killer Burgundy negociant bottlings and buy them before the non-Berserkers wake up

WINE TALK
1

I’m already aware of several and I’m a relative babe in the woods.

Potel?
Remoissonet?
F. Esmonin?
Laboure-Roi? Wait, never mind.
Etc.?
Jadot?
Le Moine?
Laurent? (e.g. Beaune VV, anything “personelle”)
More Etc. ?

2

“Potel”? I thought this was the “positive” thread…

3

Anyone have any insight into Potel’s current label?

4

Hi Pat,
Around 2007 Nicolas Potel set up Domaine de Bellene [http://www.domainedebellene.com/en-index.html] - for wines made from vineyards he owns - and Maison Roche de Bellene [http://www.maisonrochedebellene.com/maisonroche.php] - for the many more wines that he buys in as grapes, or which he manages en mettayage. The latter site offers fuller background on the new operation.
One reason the Potel name confuses people is that Laboure-Roi continue to make wine under the “Nicolas Potel” label, since they had bought the name along with the whole operation, and then dismissed him from the operation around 2007/8.
The other reason is that Nicolas went with an old friend to market his wines in the US - Ernie Loosen, based in Oregon City. I commented in George’s other thread that I felt Loosen does not do much of a job of developing the Bellene identity in the US. All the other houses they represent are German riesling producers, as you might expect.

5

How have the wines under the “Nicolas Potel” label been since 2008? There are some great deals out there on some 2010s from Pommard Epenots so curious how they might be made and what style they are these days.

6

Camille Giroud (under David Croix):

Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaut St. Jacques
Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains
Corton Clos du Roi
Corton Rognets (2011 is the last vintage, from 2012 on, the Corton Rognets parcel exploited by Maison Giroud will go into the DRC Corton)
Vosne Romanée Village
Marsannay Longeroies

J.C. Boisset

Nuits St. Georges Les Charbonnières (this is really great)
Beaune 1er Cru Bressandes
Beaune 1er Cru Grèves

7

Thanks this is very helpful. Are you a fan of his current releases?

8

Are certain vintages or bottlings from Esmonin recommended? While I’ve only tried a few I’ve not been wowed by any.

9

If you mean F Esmonin and not Sylvie the.2009 and 2010 Ruchottes. Just had.the.2008 Mazy and was pleased.

10

F. Esmonin 2010 Estournelles St. Jacques was very good, I thought. I thought there was a big step up from the Clos Prieur to the ESJ, and a smaller step to the Ruchottes.

I also had a 2010 Cote de Nuits Villages La Belle Vue that I loved, but other than the place where I had it by the glass, I didn’t see it for sale anywhere convenient. It looks like JJB has the 2011.

11

I’d love to contribute more to this thread, but I’m in learn mode pretty heavily myself on Burgundy.

I have a Bellene (2010 Maison Roche de Bellene Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots) in my collection … but wasn’t planning on opening one for at least a few years. So no opinion on Potel’s new operation.

12

Pascal marchand.

13

Hi Pat,
A friend got me to taste the Roche de Bellene 2008 Bonnes Mares blind, and I was very impressed. Like Rich, I don’t plan to open any of the 1er & grand cru for a while, given 2008 was really their first serious vintage. It is worth checking the price points on the whole range of Bellene wines; they are very competitive.
Nigel

14

The Esmonin wines took a big step up with the 12 vintage in my view.

15

Potel: Laboure-Roi has a terrible reputation; still don’t understand why Nicky Potel went with them in the first place. He got absolutely screwed by them. The brothers who ran the company will probably end up in jail for fraudulently labelling inferior wines as grand crus.
Roche de Bellene: Nicky buys some finished wines and puts his own label on. The source of the wine is unclear and the same wine from the same vintage might differ significantly depending on where he got the batches. The wines he made from grapes himself are usually fine.
Remoissonet: Quality is improving under new management, but still some ways from the best negotiants such as Drouhin, Faiveley, Bouchard and Jadot.
F. Esmonin: Not a negotiant. I think they no longer have any metayage agreement and only produce from their own vineyard holdings. Very good value for money.
Jadot: Some fabulous wines. The Clos de Beze, Clos St. Jacques, Musigny, Corton Pouget, Clos de Ursules. All from their own vineyards. Some of their negotiant bottlings can be inconsistent.
Le Moine: Buys barrels of wine for elevage. He somehow manages to get wine from good growers/winemakers, but this might become harder as time goes on. His Clos de Beze, Bonnes Mares, Amoureuses and Richebourg are fabulous. For the whites, I like the Meursault Perrieres.
Dominique Laurent: His wines used to be over-extracted and over-oaked. However, they have improved. A recent tasting of one of the older wines from the 90s showed that the oak has integrated.
Personally, I am buying a lot from Ben Leroux and Camille Giroud. I am watching the new “stars” of the younger generation with interest: Ben Leroux, David Croix, Charles van Canneyt, Sebastian Cathiard, Erwan Faiveley and Cecile Tremblay.

Adrian

16

Adrian…merci [cheers.gif]

17

Thinking of old-school negoce outfits, I am very impressed with Clos Frantin’s Grand Echezeaux 2011, from Albert Bichot’s Nuits-based domaine. Aymeric Bichot’s the fun-loving boss of the house. A dinner in London with him was a very pleasurable.