2006 Volnay Clos des Chenes
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While a Potel Volnay Santenots was chewy and drying (perhaps caught by me at an inopportune moment?), a 2006 Volnay Clos des Chenes – employing 100% vendange entier – manages to avoid the austerity that is the lot of so many wines from this site in this vintage. A prickly sense of ginger and Szechuan pepper accents the concentration of tart black fruits, with smoky black tea, peat, and chalk notes as well as a saline beef bouillon undertone adding depth and intrigue. This displays cut and grip, and while it is certainly more formidable than winsome, I suspect it will be worth following for at least 4-5 years, and will probably be best revisited in 2011. 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
Critic scores
Average Score
David Schildknecht, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Good bright medium red. Black raspberry, currant and meaty aromas are lifted by a pungent mineral note. Supple in the middle palate, with a slight rusticity to the currant, spice and earth flavors. Soil-driven wine, but not currently showing the sappiness it displayed from barrel a year ago. Finishes with broad, dusty, chewy tannins.
(from a high site on white marl soil; 100% whole cluster fermentation) Good deep red. Fine, nuanced aromas of smoke, flint, minerals, iron and leather; I might have guessed Pommard Rugiens. Sexy and classic, conveying intensity without weight. Sappy redcurrant and mineral flavors are carried by harmonious acidity. Finishes broad and long, with a serious dusting of tannins.
While a Potel Volnay Santenots was chewy and drying (perhaps caught by me at an inopportune moment?), a 2006 Volnay Clos des Chenes – employing 100% vendange entier – manages to avoid the austerity that is the lot of so many wines from this site in this vintage. A prickly sense of ginger and Szechuan pepper accents the concentration of tart black fruits, with smoky black tea, peat, and chalk notes as well as a saline beef bouillon undertone adding depth and intrigue. This displays cut and grip, and while it is certainly more formidable than winsome, I suspect it will be worth following for at least 4-5 years, and will probably be best revisited in 2011. ||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). Wine Advocate.December, 2009