Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesBarrel Sample: 91-93
Today, it is in the selection, vinification, and aging of their finest wines that Maison Nicolas Potel winemaker Brigitte Putzu focuses all of her attention on. Her time working side by side with Nicolas Potel and her knowledge of Burgundy's exceptional terroirs and incredibly diverse vineyards, allows her to select, vinify, and bring her assurance of quality to a large array of appellations and varietal wines.
Maison Nicolas Potel has built its international reputation by making wines from the most beautiful vineyards of the Burgundy region. Their appellation Villages, Premiers Crus and Grand Crus are recommended all over the world due to their purity of style, their authentic appellations and native lands. They adhere to sustainable viticulture, sourcing some fruit from 35+ year old vineyards, grapes from biodynamic and organic vineyards when possible, and from long-time grower partners. Brigitte follows the bio-dynamic calendar and creates wines in their style, either on root days or on fruit days, in order to respect the best of their individuality. Traditional winemaking, with very little intervention during the winemaking process, fermentation with only natural yeasts, limited use of oak / partial malolactic fermentation. Simply stated, these are delicious, fruit-forward wines to enjoy!
This small village is home to the Grands Crus in the farthest northerly stretches of Côte de Nuits and is famous for some of the deepest and firmest Burgundian Pinot Noir.
Gevrey boasts nine Grands Crus, the best of which are arguably Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. As with all of the fragmented vineyards of Burgundy, it isn’t easy to differentiate between the two, which are situated adjacent with Clos de Bèze slightly further up the hill than Le Chambertin. Clos de Bèze has a shallower soil and if you’re really counting, may produce wines less intense but more likely to charm. Some compare Le Chambertin in both power and plentitude only to the prized Romanée-Conti Grand Cru farther south in Vosne-Romanée.
Two other Grands Crus vineyards, Mazis-Chambertin (also written Mazy-) and Latricières-Chambertin command almost as much regard as Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. The upper part of Mazy, called Les Mazis Haut is the best and Latricières-Chambertin offers an abundance of juicy fruit and a silky texture in the warmer vintages.
Other Grands Crus are Ruchottes-Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin, Mazoyères-Chambertin, Griotte-Chambertin and Chapelle-Chambertin.
The most respected Pinot Noir wines from Gevrey-Chambertin are robust and powerful but at the same time, velvety and expressive: black fruit, black liquorice and chocolate come into play. After some time in the bottle, the wines are harmonious with bright and sometimes candied fruit, and aromas of musk, truffle and forest floor. These have staying power.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”