Community Tasting Note

LeeGuy wrote:

Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 2004 Volnay, Santenots, 1er Cru, Nicolas Potel - FRANCE
Medium-Full Bodied, Dry, Ready, but will improve, Pinot Noir, 13% alc.
Tasting Notes: Enticing sweet spice and red berry fruit on the nose are followed by a light-bodied and beautifully
supple palate. Drink this glorious wine now and over the next three years.
Property: Nicolas Potel
Nicolas Potel decided to set up his own négociant business after the death of his father in 1996 and the subsequent
sale of Domaine Pousse d`Or, . "When my father died I wanted a change. Pousse d`Or was a great estate so there
was nothing to do. Now I`ve had an opportunity to prove myself as a négociant", he says.
Aided by his wife Anna, Nicolas Potel is one of the leaders of the new breed of négoce, cleverly buying grapes and
finished wine from some of the very best growers in Burgundy whilst personally overseeing the viticultural process.
His approach is biodynamic,respecting the vine and soil's natural rhythms, whilst favouring old vines whenever
possible. All his wines have a purity of fruit and balance. He says, "I`m not passionate about big, heavy, black
wines. My first aim is purity, then terroir and appellation show through."
Vintage Notes: 2004 - Red Burgundy
The first half of the 2004 growing season provided the red winemakers of Burgundy some serious challenges.
After a warm Spring right through May, June brought a cold snap which delayed the flowering on the Pinot Noir.
The summer was much colder and wetter than normal, causing problems with oidium and mould.
As if they had not suffered enough, hailstorms struck the Côte de Beaune at the end of August, cullminating on a
particularly bad storm on the 23rd which wiped out swathes of Volnay, Pommard, Savigny and Beaune. Finally the
weather dried out at the end of August, rescuing the crop not affected by hail.
The fine weather in September saved the day, the hail-affected vineyards ended up producing grapes of surprising
quality, and in some cases unusually high sugar levels.
The 2004 red wines from leading producers which we tasted in October and November 2005 show the hallmarks of
a fine vintage with the best wines displaying fine aromatics and good ageing potential. In general the wines are
better in the Côte de Nuits than the Côte de Beaune.
Region: Red Burgundy
Burgundy is without doubt the most fragmented wine region in the world with no fewer than 30,000 growers and
over 700 different appellation contrôlées. Holdings became smaller and smaller largely due to the Napoleonic
inheritance laws, which are still in place. The most extreme example of fragmentation is Clos de Vougeot, which
consists of 50 hectares of vineyards divided amongst 80+ owners.
Quality is at an all-time high due to a glut of successful vintages in the 90s and the emergence of a new generation
of dedicated and quality driven growers who are striving to produce better wines year on year. At Berrys we deal
with whom we consider to be the very best producers in their respective village; namely Rousseau in
Gevrey-Chambertin, Ghilslaine Barthod in Chambolle- Musigny, Meo-Camuzet in Vosne-Romanée, and
Carillon and Leflaive in Puligny Montrachet.
1/2 01/10/09

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