Nicolas Potel Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2008
- Vintage
- 2008
- Country
- France
- Region
- Burgundy,Cote de Nuits
- Size
- 750ml
- Rating
- WA91~92
- Grape
- Pinot Noir
Representing eight barrels from four suppliers, the Maison Potel 2008 Clos de la Roche smells of wood smoke, resin, maple syrup, dark berries, purple plum, and crushed stone. This displays impressive sap and stamina on the palate, with an intensity of fruit nicely poised between confiture and freshness, the tartness and piquancy of skins and pits adding to an energetic and invigorating finishing impression. The sense of stony minerality, too, persists impressively. This ought to be worth following for 15 or more years. - WA91~92
Maison Nicolas Potel is a Burgundy négociant business founded in 1997. While the house owns no vineyards, Potel makes Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines from some of the most highly regarded sites in the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. Potel has access to multiple grand cru and premier cru vineyards, notably producing Corton, Charmes-Chambertin and Echézeaux Grand Cru wines, among others. Wines are also produced at the village level from regions all over Burgundy, including Chablis and the Maconnais, as well as Beaujolais to the south.
Potel's father was manager of Domaine Pousse d'Or until his death in 1996. The resulting sale of Pousse d'Or led Nicolas to start his own winery using his relationships with Burgundy growers to secure high-quality fruit. In 2005, he sold the winery to the Cottin brothers who owned the Burgundy label Labouré-Roi. Potel remained involved until 2009, when he bought his own vineyards, although his name remains. He now owns the labels Domaine Roche de Bellene in Beaune and Domaine Potel Aviron in Beaujolais. - Information from Wine Searcher