One of Burgundy's (Big) Little Secrets
2001 Chézeaux (Ponsot) Griotte-Chambertin
"Produced, Aged and Bottled by Dom. Ponsot"
Today's wine is not what it appears to be...
It's better.
While the label declares "Domaine des Chézeaux" rather calmly, "the truth in the bottle" is none other than Ponsot's 2001 Griotte-Chambertin.
Ponsot's Griotte is one of our favorite bottlings in his stable. While the Clos de la Roche is muscular and deep, the Griotte is lighter, brighter. It has a simply gorgeous cherry perfume and a freshness that makes the wine feel almost bouncy even while it remains satiny and very, very elegant. Texturally, Ponsot's Griotte is ultra-fine, equal parts fruit and mineral.
Griotte-Chambertin is one of the most elusive Grand Crus in Burgundy; it's the smallest Grand Cru in Gevrey at only 3 hectares in size. Only a handful of producers even make wine in Griotte, but the roster is a testament to the quality of the terroir, the fascination it holds: Ponsot, Drouhin, Dugat, Fourrier, Roty, Jadot and Leclerc.
The 2001, coming to us with a decade of development, is landing perfectly in its drinking window. And it was a great vintage for Ponsot: Allen Meadows said in his vintage notes for the domaine, "Ponsot describes the quality as 'almost perfect' and indeed several of his 2001s are indeed extremely impressive."
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But to return to the most obvious question: Why does this Ponsot bottle have a Chezeaux label? This bottling is a product of the French practice of "métayage" - an arrangement where a wine is made in exchange for a percentage of the final product. Ponsot makes the wine from Chezeaux's land, and in return he gets two-thirds of the production, which he bottles under his own label.
The remaining third - the SAME wine - is bottled under the Chézeaux label, which we have for you today (note the back-label, sort of says it all). Details like this add even more intrigue to Burgundy and, more importantly for this email, hold serious value.
Due to the limited quantities available and expected demand, please give us the maximum number of bottles you are interested in and we will do our best to fulfill your order.
Please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463 to order.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
Griotte-Chambertin
Burghound: "Pure, pretty and very stylish red cherry fruit notes framed in strong earth aromas followed by complex, medium weight flavors that display much better mid-palate density than they did from cask. In short, this is a beautiful effort in a medium weight style."