Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin Singapore, Potel Tasting.

Great tasting, superb quality throughout. The 2006 vintage showed rather big and sappy, with some heat in certain instances, but in general, the wines were really good.

• 2006 Nicolas Potel Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet 96 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

  I knew this was something special from the first swirl and sniff. Quite simply one of the best white wines I have ever had. Sometimes a wine just belies description, same problem I had with the 2002 DRC Romanee St Vivant, but I shall try. Nice golden straw colour. Super complex nose (my notes say "Wow! lovely, lovely, lovely!), with bright, melony fruit, bread, nuts and vanilla. It got sweeter and more open with time in the glass, taking on lemon custard, yeasty notes and a nice streak of minerality. The palate was wide, creamy and fleshy with super-rich, concentrated mouthfilling flavours. Layers and layers of flavour in fact - butter, lemon custard, citrus notes, a bit of pineapple, and a super super long finish full of fruit and a wonderful hint of minerals. This certainly blew the Corton Charlemagne that was tasted next out of the water. There was just a flush of heat from the rather high alcohol content, but everything was nicely balanced with moutwatering acid and fantastic structure. This needs time, quite a lot of it, but so delicious even now. Magnificent.

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• 2006 Nicolas Potel Corton-Charlemagne 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Obviously a good wine, but very tight at the moment, and completely overshadowed by the stupendous Criots Batard Montrachet. Yellow gold, slightly paler in colour than the Criots. Nose was dominated by chalk, mineral and earth, Not as forward as its stablemate, but still attractive, with a sense of lurking opulence waiting to emerge. There was a slight vulgar, savoury fungus, sulphuric whiff at the end of the nose. Interesting minerality on the palate again, very stony, with the fruit rather buried. Great structure, really long, powdery finish, with a slight hint of bitter at the tail. Very austere at the moement, tight and steely. This needs plenty of time.

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• 2006 Nicolas Potel Meursault Vieilles Vignes 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  Yellow gold colour. It opened with a whiff of smelly socks with an underlying layer of straw and grass. Seemed a little reductive. Citrus notes peeked out after some time, with buttery, vanilla tones. The palate was nice and fresh, but with a clear sense of high alcohol. Almost tottering towards a slight imbalance. Good - big, rather fat, rich and weighty for sure, but a little all over the place at the moment. Nicolas Potel says to wait 10 years for this to come around.

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• 2006 Nicolas Potel Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  This was rather good indeed. Nice clean fruit on the nose, a little pear, but more on the pineapple and citrus range, with a clear streak of flinty minerality undergirding the wine throughout. The palate had a nice sense of structure with high acidity balancing out the big alcohol. Almost elegant. It was certainly better balanced and more well put together than the Meursault VV tasted together. Great intensity of flavours, long mouthwatering finish. Seems almost ready.

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• 2006 Nicolas Potel Clos de la Roche 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

  Slightly dusky nose, almost a little rustic initially, but that blew off slightly as the wine took on perfumed, darkly fruited flavours, with hints of mint lurking in the background. Good concentration on the palate, dark dark cherries, with fresh acid and rather softer tannins than the Chambertin Grand Crus. Some spice emerged after time, and the fruit took on a slightly higher pitch. Nice grippy finish. A little less exciting than the 2004 that we tasted next to it, but maybe a little better put together in its balance and concentration.

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• 2004 Nicolas Potel Clos de la Roche 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

  Darker than the 2006 that we tasted together, both in colour and fruit. Rather thick and jammy nose, but nicely aromatic and perfumed, with a bit of licorice and just that smallest bit of savoury mushroom. Very nice palate, almost fruitcake like, reminscent of dried cherries and strawberries with hints of spice, but very clean and cool, with cola and mint showing up after time. Clear influence of sweet oak, but I found it rather well integrated. Also noticeable 2004 acid structure (which is a good thing in this instancem, where there is good concentrated fruit). A completely different animal from the 2006, and really nice. Hard to choose between them.

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• 2006 Nicolas Potel Clos St. Denis 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos St. Denis Grand Cru

  Very good indeed. I certainly preferred this to the already rather good Clos de la Roche, and even to the beautiful 2004 Clos St Denis. Unsually garnet hues for a young wine. Luxurious nose, which seemed to be singing with notes of clean, pure cherries, flowers and an interesting undertone of iron on one hand and mushrooms on the other. Wonderful sense of freshness and balance, with more of that clean, concentrated cherry and some strawberry fruit, all wrapped in a layer of nicely integrated sweet oak. Very round, very nice, with a finish that ended with the littlest hint of spice. Finish was not quite as long as the 2004, but this was really pretty and supremely elegant.

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• 2004 Nicolas Potel Clos St. Denis 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos St. Denis Grand Cru

  Beautifully made wine, with a clean, high toned and wonderful perfumed nose of cherry drops enveloped in a layer of earth, mint and eucalyptus. The palate was darker, with great power and length undergirding focused cherry and cola flavours. Great, dry finish with a flourish of spice. Elegant and powerful at the same time. Lovely.

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• 2006 Nicolas Potel Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

  Superb. Great, great purity of fruit, with super clean, concentrated, perfumy cherry flavours, still wrapped in layers of oak that will need some time to integrate. The palate was a joy, with a wonderful sense of structure and power undergirding that amazing fruit. Super long finish. This will be awesome years down the road. Wonderful, pure expression of pinot from one of my favourite vineyards in the world.

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• 2006 Nicolas Potel Charmes-Chambertin 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Light purple colour. This seemed more closed than the Mazoyeres at first, but opened up very quickly to reveal a really attractive and rather complex nose. It was earthier, more powerful than its stablemate, but with distinct perfumed floral notes (violets I think) and high-toned cherry fruit emerging after more time in the glass. On the palate, the Charmes was sweeter, but a little cleaner and more focused than the Mazoyeres. It had the same sense of high alcohol, with a flush of heat on the mid-palate, but had better balance and poise with fresher acid. It finished long and dry, with the fine, powdery tannins making their presence felt. I found this at once more powerful and focused, but also prettier and more approachable than the Mazoyeres. Very good indeed.

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• 2004 Nicolas Potel Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

  Understated, maybe, but this certainly had great power and concentration all put together in a package of great finesse. It absolutely knocked my socks off. Beautiful nose with forest floor, mushroom and moss, and the purest and most concentrated high-toned cherry fruit I have tasted in a long, long while. Absolutely focused and seamless on the palate, with the same astounding fruit and perfect, perfect balance. Long and mouthwatering finish.

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• 2006 Nicolas Potel Mazoyères-Chambertin 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Very young, but good potential on this one. Cool, clean cherry drop nose at first, with some dry earth. Took on a bit more complexity and weight with time in the glass. Clear, clean fruit again on the palate, with a sense of power and persistence. Bits of spice started appearing with time, and slowly became more and more pronounced. Firm tannins, more velvet than silk, stood out quite a bit, especially at the start of the palate. It was certainly tighter and a lot firmer that the Charmes Chambertin tasted together. High alcohol, and rather lower acid than its stablemate. I would have liked a bit more freshness on a wine of this intensity. Still, I liked the really focused fruit and long, lingering finish.

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