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1 bottle per lot
Details
BURGUNDY VINTAGE REPORTS 1987-1996
1987*
A challenging year marked by rains, which rarely came at the right moment for the vines. Flowering started on the 13th of June. The sun finally reappeared in September and stayed until the harvest, which started late at Domaine Ponsot on the 8th of October and lasted until the 15th. The best 1987 wines are delicate and elegant with a pleasant purity of fruit followed by fine acidity. Some happy surprises are to be found around the Côte from the best growers.
1988****
The quality of the wines produced in this vintage depended on the harvest date with those who waited making the best wines. The season started out relatively cool which changed for the better in May, which was hot and dry. June and July were quite warm with regular showers and one serious hailstorm. Throughout August until the start of September, the weather remained calm and warm. By mid-September the weather was cool and wet, which made a number of growers pick in a rush. Those who waited, like Domaine Ponsot, made the best choice as fine weather returned by the end of the month and harvest was started on the 29th under blue skies. The berries were small with thick skins and low yield in juice. The 1988’s are classic wines for extended aging. In their youth they proved to be quite rigid but with time they have now balanced out and thanks to their backbone these will stay on this plateau for decades to come. A great classic vintage and highly successful for Domaine Ponsot.
1989***
A generous and fruity vintage. A mild winter and spring resulted in rapid vegetative growth. March was rather warm but spring frosts at the end of April caused some damage. Flowering started early May and progressed rapidly. The summer brought exceptionally sunny and hot weather, however the vines didn’t suffer as a few mild storms around mid-July, followed by light rains arrived at the right moment to water the vines. Harvest at Domaine Ponsot started on the 21st of September and was completed by the 27th. The 1989s are sun-kissed wines with beautiful textures and fine acidity.
1990*****
After a mild winter, bud burst began rather early in the first week of April. Colder weather around the end of April lasting until mid-May disturbed the flowering and caused a little millerandage. A hot and dry summer allowed the grapes to reach perfect maturity and the rains which began at the end of August prevented the vines from suffering from any drought. Perfect maturity was therefore achieved. An outstanding vintage. Harvest began on the 24th of September and was completed on the 3rd of October.
1991****
A vintage which was initially completely overlooked for coming after the great 1990’s. Severe frost in early spring drastically brought down the potential yield. Flowering was slow and took place in cool conditions. Summer was hot and dry and a fierce local storm on the 22nd of August brought hail down on the vineyards from Morey to Vosne causing serious damage. August finished with fine, sunny weather which continued into September, leading up to the harvest.
Good quality white wines of elegance and pure fruit were produced. The reds were more uneven, some tight and some over extracted wines, but overall a successful vintage which gave wines of strength and depth which will go on and have significant ageing potential. Harvest began on the 1st of October and lasted until the 7th.
1992***
A great vintage for whites, producing attractive wines whilst the red wines were merely good.
After a mild winter and early spring, the flowering started early. Uneven weather throughout May caused delays and irregular fruit set which was desirable as it brought down the size of a potentially huge crop. August was hot and sunny bringing the grapes into an excellent state of ripeness for an early harvest on the 12th of September. Most of the crop was in before the rains arrived on the 22nd of September. Contrary to the 1991 vintage, the berries were big with a lot of juice. These are gorgeous, fresh and lively wines.
1993****
Despite capricious weather and a stormy summer, the 1993 Clos de la Roche is a wine of exceptional quality. The harvest date was an important decision and the willingness of the estate to be patient and wait for the full maturity of the grapes paid off.
Harvest began on the 24th of September and the Clos de la Roche was harvested on the 29th and 30th of September, which as when the harvest concluded.
1994*
A rather mean vintage in which Laurent Ponsot declassified almost all of his Grand Crus to premier crus, the exception being Griotte Chambertin, and some of his premier crus to village wines. An example of his courageous eye for quality highlighting that a Ponsot Grand Cru truly is a Grand Vin.
Harvest was from the 28th September to the 3rd of October
1995****
This vintage is marked by extremely limited yields due to a cold and humid month of June which disturbed fruit set, causing coulure and millerandage. The choice of which date to start harvest was an important factor in this vintage and it wasn’t until October that the full maturity of the tannins took place. Because of the low yields in this vintage, the wines are extremely structured and capable of long ageing. This vintage has been able to retain significant freshness, recalling the 1996 and 1998 vintages and the wines are now perfect to drink, with integrated tannins and excellent balance thanks to their good level of acidity.
Harvest took place between the 4th and 10th of October and the Clos de la Roche was harvested on the 6th and 7th of October.
1996***
Bud burst took place late in this vintage around mid-April because of a cold and humid spring which lasted until the end of May. Good weather during the month of June led to good flowering which was followed by a hot and dry summer with strong winds from the North. These weather conditions remained in place until harvest with cool nights that allowed the grapes to retain a elevated degree of acidity which balanced out the excellent maturity of the grapes and has allowed the wines of this vintage to age well. They are reminiscent of wines of the 1998 vintage with perhaps a little extra freshness. The tannins are now perfectly integrated and bring length, with a fresh finish to the wines.
Harvest began on the 26th of September and the Clos de la Roche was harvested on the 29th and 30th of September. The final day of harvest took place on the 2nd of October.
CLOS DE LA ROCHE
Found in the north of the appellation along with Clos Saint-Denis and with, to the south, Clos des Lambrays, Clos de Tart and Bonnes-Mares, the vineyard of Clos de la Roche lies at an altitude of around 250m. Occupying the bottom of the hillside, Clos de la Roche is made up of three areas: Les Monchamps, Monts-Luisants Bas and Clos-de-la-Roche. On the rocky edge of the slope, the limestone dominates: barely 30 cm of earth, a few pebbles, and large blocks of stone for which the vineyard is named; an ideal terroir for pinot noir.
Very close to Chambertin, Clos de la Roche is often firmer and possesses greater depth. It is a rich and energetic wine with a very long finish. Fragrant, it has aromas of Morello cherries when young which evolve into truffles and earthiness enriching the bouquet with age. It has the greatest aging potential of the Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Crus. This is Domaine Ponsot’s crown jewel; they own an impressive 3.36 ha holding of this famous Grand Cru. The estate owns the largest share of the vineyard and blends the harvest from the original Clos de la Roche vineyard with 30% from the Monts Luisants plot. The vines were planted between 1954 and 2000 and have an average age of 60 years.
Domaine Ponsot, Clos de la Roche 1959
Grand Cru, Côte de Nuits
Recorked towards the end of the 1990's
Tasting note: Intense nose of rich ripe fruits, you smell the sun ripened fruits. As expected, these 1959s have a full, rich character. A touch of vegetal aromas, tarry even from the intensity .
The taste starts with a fine small red fruit tone, the acidity is well present between the fine small red fruits; well-aged. Focused. Tasted from bottle during the jubilee tasting at the Domaine in June 2022. Edwin Vos
1 bottle per lot
1987*
A challenging year marked by rains, which rarely came at the right moment for the vines. Flowering started on the 13th of June. The sun finally reappeared in September and stayed until the harvest, which started late at Domaine Ponsot on the 8th of October and lasted until the 15th. The best 1987 wines are delicate and elegant with a pleasant purity of fruit followed by fine acidity. Some happy surprises are to be found around the Côte from the best growers.
1988****
The quality of the wines produced in this vintage depended on the harvest date with those who waited making the best wines. The season started out relatively cool which changed for the better in May, which was hot and dry. June and July were quite warm with regular showers and one serious hailstorm. Throughout August until the start of September, the weather remained calm and warm. By mid-September the weather was cool and wet, which made a number of growers pick in a rush. Those who waited, like Domaine Ponsot, made the best choice as fine weather returned by the end of the month and harvest was started on the 29th under blue skies. The berries were small with thick skins and low yield in juice. The 1988’s are classic wines for extended aging. In their youth they proved to be quite rigid but with time they have now balanced out and thanks to their backbone these will stay on this plateau for decades to come. A great classic vintage and highly successful for Domaine Ponsot.
1989***
A generous and fruity vintage. A mild winter and spring resulted in rapid vegetative growth. March was rather warm but spring frosts at the end of April caused some damage. Flowering started early May and progressed rapidly. The summer brought exceptionally sunny and hot weather, however the vines didn’t suffer as a few mild storms around mid-July, followed by light rains arrived at the right moment to water the vines. Harvest at Domaine Ponsot started on the 21st of September and was completed by the 27th. The 1989s are sun-kissed wines with beautiful textures and fine acidity.
1990*****
After a mild winter, bud burst began rather early in the first week of April. Colder weather around the end of April lasting until mid-May disturbed the flowering and caused a little millerandage. A hot and dry summer allowed the grapes to reach perfect maturity and the rains which began at the end of August prevented the vines from suffering from any drought. Perfect maturity was therefore achieved. An outstanding vintage. Harvest began on the 24th of September and was completed on the 3rd of October.
1991****
A vintage which was initially completely overlooked for coming after the great 1990’s. Severe frost in early spring drastically brought down the potential yield. Flowering was slow and took place in cool conditions. Summer was hot and dry and a fierce local storm on the 22nd of August brought hail down on the vineyards from Morey to Vosne causing serious damage. August finished with fine, sunny weather which continued into September, leading up to the harvest.
Good quality white wines of elegance and pure fruit were produced. The reds were more uneven, some tight and some over extracted wines, but overall a successful vintage which gave wines of strength and depth which will go on and have significant ageing potential. Harvest began on the 1st of October and lasted until the 7th.
1992***
A great vintage for whites, producing attractive wines whilst the red wines were merely good.
After a mild winter and early spring, the flowering started early. Uneven weather throughout May caused delays and irregular fruit set which was desirable as it brought down the size of a potentially huge crop. August was hot and sunny bringing the grapes into an excellent state of ripeness for an early harvest on the 12th of September. Most of the crop was in before the rains arrived on the 22nd of September. Contrary to the 1991 vintage, the berries were big with a lot of juice. These are gorgeous, fresh and lively wines.
1993****
Despite capricious weather and a stormy summer, the 1993 Clos de la Roche is a wine of exceptional quality. The harvest date was an important decision and the willingness of the estate to be patient and wait for the full maturity of the grapes paid off.
Harvest began on the 24th of September and the Clos de la Roche was harvested on the 29th and 30th of September, which as when the harvest concluded.
1994*
A rather mean vintage in which Laurent Ponsot declassified almost all of his Grand Crus to premier crus, the exception being Griotte Chambertin, and some of his premier crus to village wines. An example of his courageous eye for quality highlighting that a Ponsot Grand Cru truly is a Grand Vin.
Harvest was from the 28th September to the 3rd of October
1995****
This vintage is marked by extremely limited yields due to a cold and humid month of June which disturbed fruit set, causing coulure and millerandage. The choice of which date to start harvest was an important factor in this vintage and it wasn’t until October that the full maturity of the tannins took place. Because of the low yields in this vintage, the wines are extremely structured and capable of long ageing. This vintage has been able to retain significant freshness, recalling the 1996 and 1998 vintages and the wines are now perfect to drink, with integrated tannins and excellent balance thanks to their good level of acidity.
Harvest took place between the 4th and 10th of October and the Clos de la Roche was harvested on the 6th and 7th of October.
1996***
Bud burst took place late in this vintage around mid-April because of a cold and humid spring which lasted until the end of May. Good weather during the month of June led to good flowering which was followed by a hot and dry summer with strong winds from the North. These weather conditions remained in place until harvest with cool nights that allowed the grapes to retain a elevated degree of acidity which balanced out the excellent maturity of the grapes and has allowed the wines of this vintage to age well. They are reminiscent of wines of the 1998 vintage with perhaps a little extra freshness. The tannins are now perfectly integrated and bring length, with a fresh finish to the wines.
Harvest began on the 26th of September and the Clos de la Roche was harvested on the 29th and 30th of September. The final day of harvest took place on the 2nd of October.
CLOS DE LA ROCHE
Found in the north of the appellation along with Clos Saint-Denis and with, to the south, Clos des Lambrays, Clos de Tart and Bonnes-Mares, the vineyard of Clos de la Roche lies at an altitude of around 250m. Occupying the bottom of the hillside, Clos de la Roche is made up of three areas: Les Monchamps, Monts-Luisants Bas and Clos-de-la-Roche. On the rocky edge of the slope, the limestone dominates: barely 30 cm of earth, a few pebbles, and large blocks of stone for which the vineyard is named; an ideal terroir for pinot noir.
Very close to Chambertin, Clos de la Roche is often firmer and possesses greater depth. It is a rich and energetic wine with a very long finish. Fragrant, it has aromas of Morello cherries when young which evolve into truffles and earthiness enriching the bouquet with age. It has the greatest aging potential of the Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Crus. This is Domaine Ponsot’s crown jewel; they own an impressive 3.36 ha holding of this famous Grand Cru. The estate owns the largest share of the vineyard and blends the harvest from the original Clos de la Roche vineyard with 30% from the Monts Luisants plot. The vines were planted between 1954 and 2000 and have an average age of 60 years.
Domaine Ponsot, Clos de la Roche 1959
Grand Cru, Côte de Nuits
Recorked towards the end of the 1990's
Tasting note: Intense nose of rich ripe fruits, you smell the sun ripened fruits. As expected, these 1959s have a full, rich character. A touch of vegetal aromas, tarry even from the intensity .
The taste starts with a fine small red fruit tone, the acidity is well present between the fine small red fruits; well-aged. Focused. Tasted from bottle during the jubilee tasting at the Domaine in June 2022. Edwin Vos
1 bottle per lot
Special notice
This lot is subject to standard Swiss VAT rules and 7.7% VAT will be charged on the ‘hammer’ and the ‘buyer’s premium’
Sale room notice
Please note that this was recorked towards the end of the 1990's. The estimate remains the same
Brought to you by
Edwin Vos
International Head of Department
