Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes Ponsot (Domaine) 1985

Lot presentation

Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes Ponsot (Domaine) 1985

The wine

The Clos Saint-Denis is strictly speaking not a clos but a cru from Morey-Denis, which covers 6.5 hectares. It groups together several hamlets. The characteristics of the more developed wines of Clos Saint-Denis are aromatic notes of wild fruit and spices with gamey overtones. These are wines that can be laid down for a considerable length of time. Established on the Côte d'Or since 1870, the Ponsot family comes from a long line of winemakers who have all applied their savoir-faire to the Domain. In 1932 Hippolyte started to bottle the wine on the estate, and in 1934 he exported it to America. At the beginning of the sixties his son Jean-Marie was a pioneer in clonal selection in the Burgundy region. In 1972 his wife Jacqueline inherited several parcels from Gevrey Chambertin and Chapelle Chambertin. Today the estate is exclusively run by the family, and the different entities are owned by Jean-Marie and Jacqueline Ponsot's children who continue to produce wine completely uninfluenced by fashion. Sometimes certain wines only reveal their true potential after a long and difficult maturing. Hence the reason why the domain will never put a wine onto the market if it does not live up to its appellation and vintage. The domain harvests very late using traditional wine-making methods. No new wood or filtering methods are used, resulting in a rich and spectacular wine. Rich and racy, the Saint-Denis acquires extraordinary liquorice and red fruit aromas as it matures.

In 1872, William Ponsot bought a domaine in Morey-Saint-Denis. Since then, several generations have followed and the vineyard has grown. Hippolyte began bottling at the domaine in 1932 and exporting to the United States in 1934. His son Jean-Marie was among the pioneers of clonal selection in Burgundy in the early 1960s. In 1972, his wife Jacqueline inherited several parcels of Gevrey-Chambertin and Chapelle-Chambertin. Today the heritage remains exclusively with the family, and the different parts of the domaine are held by Jean-Marie and Jacqueline Ponsot's children who continue to produce wines outside the fashionable phenomena. The domaine harvests very late, fully respecting traditional winemaking methods, without new wood or any filtration operation, resulting in spectacularly rich wines. In early 2017, Laurent Ponsot, who had run the domaine for many years, left the domaine (for personal reasons) and it is now his sister Rose-Marie Ponsot who has taken over.