Maison Nicolas Potel Lavaux Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, France

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The Potel 2006 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.-Jacques – of which there are only 50 cases – is scented with rose petal, smoked meat, kirsch and framboise distillate. A firmly but finely tannic, bitter-sweet, cherry pit- and chalk-inflected palate leads to a finish of interactive complexity of floral, carnal, berry, and mineral elements. If the tannins soften effectively, the appeal here will be considerably enhanced, and this athletically lean Gevrey should in any case be fascinating to follow over the next 3-5 years. 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

It’s hard to put names on the intense floral and mineral aromatics of Potel’s 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.-Jacques but suggestions of rose petal, sea breeze and crushed stone are woven throughout this wine. Salt-crusted red currant, raspberry and beef marrow wreathed in flowers and truffle scents on the palate lead to a mysteriously multi-registered, rarified finish possessed of truly ethereal floral and distilled red fruit notes. The refinement of texture and interplay of flavors here are rather white wine-like. As superb as it is intriguing, I would suggest anyone lucky enough to latch on to a few bottles check it out in at most three more years, as one would not want to miss out on anything that is present now. Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700.