Maison Nicolas Potel Nuits-Saint-Georges Vieilles Vignes, Cote de Nuits, France

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A Maison Potel 2008 Nuits-St.-Georges Vieilles Vignes offers an unemphatic endorsement of dark cherry fruit with hints of resin and leather; comes to the palate polished and with vintage-typical hints of tartness; gains some complexity by way of its aura of gaminess; and finishes with just a hint of drying tannin. This doesn’t entirely reflect the strength of Nuits-St.-Georges in the 2008 vintage, but perhaps it will harmonize with some time in bottle, where it certainly bids fair to remain fresh for at least half a dozen years. In mid 2009, Nicolas Potel was forced out of the negociant firm that bears his name by the owners of its parent company, Laboure-Roi. (For more about Nicolas Potel’s own new negociant and domaine, see under “Roche de Bellene” and “Domaine de Bellene.”) Other members of the team responsible for Maison Nicolas Potel wines – including cellarmaster Fabrice Lesne – remain in place. I tasted more than half of their 2008s – a line-up considerably reduced in numbers as well as different in particulars from that which had come to prevail under Potel’s tenure (and bereft of some obvious gems) – and sampled a few of their 2007s: the last collection here that Nicolas Potel guided to bottle; an exceptionally impressive one for its vintage based on what I could taste; and one characterized by levels of alcohol (generally under 12.5%) unusually modest by any standards, not to mention those prevailing in 2007. Many of the Potel 2008s were tardy in undergoing malo; a few were not finished until Spring of last year and thus not taste-able when I last visited. No wines had yet been bottled at that time either, but all of those that I tasted were ready for bottling, and where applicable assembled in tank. It would be an understatement to note that it is bound to be awkward for both parties from a marketing standpoint to have your operation named for someone no longer involved but rather competing with you, someone whose wines in turn cannot be labeled with his own name. But under the unfortunate historical circumstances, there may for at least the foreseeable future be no alternative.Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

A surprisingly rich and substantial Potel 2006 Nuits-St.-Georges Vieilles Vignes features ripe black fruits, concentrated meat stock, dark chocolate, resin, and black tea. The tannins turn somewhat aggressive on the finish here – accentuated by peppery pungency and fruit skin tartness – and I wonder whether the use of one-third vendange entier was wise. But time will tell, and this is certainly worth revisiting in 2010. Nicolas Potel consistently favors promoting ripeness at low potential alcohol and consistently eschews chaptalization. He is also a fan of freshness and clarity in Pinot, while maintaining notably low levels of sulfur. A vintage where a significant share of fruit came in near or above 14% potential alcohol and was shadowed by botrytis was thus a challenge, which seems to have been selectively well met. (For more on the style and methods associated with Maison Nicolas Potel – whose wines are sourced from a mixture of contract fruit and purchased juice – consult my report in issue 171.) Despite the huge number of 2006s I tasted here, incidentally, they did not represent the entire Potel vintage collection. In May, 2009, Potel left the negociant firm that bears his name (and which belongs to the Cottin brothers, owners of Laboure-Roi) to devote himself entirely to his own domaine and negociant operation, Maison Roche de Bellene, which crushed its first grapes with the 2007 vintage (in part from Potel holdings that were showcased in Maison Potel bottlings of vintages 2005 and 2006). Long-time cellarmaster Fabrice Lesne has now assumed direction of Maison Potel. By the way, suggested retail prices for the 2006s here took a sharp downturn vis-a-vis those for the 2005s, an occurrence worth noting for its rarity. (That said, of course the effective, eventual retail prices for all 2006s have turned on market factors that transcended cellar door prices, let alone the parameters envisioned by national importers).Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700