Domaine Ponsot

An Atherton Wine Imports Direct Domaine

The Ponsots have the utmost respect for terroir and believe very strongly that their methods produce the most authentic representation of each vineyard and vintage. They use natural yeasts, keep yields very low, harvest late to ensure complete ripeness, and meticulously sort the grapes. New oak is never used and they keep using barrels for as long as thirty years if possible. The reds are never fined or filtered and they use the smallest possible amount of sulphur. They maintain their vineyards using traditional methods and use biodegradable herbicides only when absolutely necessary.

In 1989 they built a large cellar that houses all of the wines as well as their 60 year old basket press. Pigeage is still done by foot. Their techniques are becoming increasingly rare, but there are few producers as principled as the Ponsots and their commitment to quality is second to none. In the difficult 1994 vintage, they boldly declassified almost all of the Grands and Premiers Crus in order to “respect the Appellations.”

The vineyards of the Ponsot domaine certainly deserve the greatest respect. The Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes comes from two plots with 60 year old vines that cover a whopping 3.15 hectares. The Clos St. Denis is also made from old vines – planted over 80 years ago – on a small .38 hectare plot. In some years (like 2003) the yield is so low that they can only make one barrel of Clos St. Denis. They also farm three Grand Crus in Gevrey: Chambertin (.14 ha), Griotte (.89 ha), and Chapelle (.47 ha). They own the latter vineyard and share-crop the other two.

Ponsot also produces some excellent Premier Crus from Morey St. Denis. The Monts-Luisants vineyard is very close to Clos de la Roche and most of their vines are now over 45 years old. They do have some young vines in both Clos de la Roche and Monts-Luisants which they declassify into their Morey Premier Cru “Cuvee des Alouettes.” They also produce a true rarity – a white Premier Cru that legally includes Aligote – from the old vines in the Clos des Monts-Luisants monopole.

Praise for Domaine Ponsot

“Ponsot's 04's are among the stars of the vintage as he has crafted an extremely strong set of wines and while one expects the Clos de la Roche and Clos St. Denis to be outstanding, this is perhaps the best Chapelle I have seen in many vintages.” – Burghound, Jan 2006

“those readers who admire classical, old style, completely unadorned Burgundies will like this range very much, especially at the top of the lineup.” – Burghound, Jan 2001

“I have long believed that, along with a handful of the great vintages of Domaine de la Romanée Conti, the greatest red Burgundy is Ponsot's Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes” – Robert Parker, Hedonist’s Gazette, Jan 2006

“potentially – and indeed very often in practice – one of the very best not only in Morey but among the whole of the Cote” – Clive Coates, Cote D’Or

“Ponsot’s reds are among the Cote’s finest. Their style emphasizes finesse with structures derived from old vine fruit and a dimension of opulence.” – Remington Norman, The Great Domaines of Burgundy

Featured Wines

• Clos de la Roche V.V.
• Clos St. Denis V.V.
• Griottes-Chambertin
• Chapelle-Chambertin
• Chambertin
• Morey “Cuvee des Alouettes”
• Morey “Clos des Monts Luisants” Blanc