Nicolas Potel - Burgundy 2006 En Primeur wines

Spending any time with Nicolas Potel in Burgundy can’t help but to make even the most ardent of critics a lifelong convert. Nicolas is another man of boundless energy but his approach is very organic, adhering to the natural rhythms wherever possible. Such an unforced, careful, natural and sensitive approach is reflected perfectly in his wines. He recalled a saying of his late father, Gérard, which we liked very much: “Great wine is like a clear sky where you can see all of the stars in perfect detail. Lesser wines are like cloudy nights were definition is less possible” In 2006, Nicolas rates his wines at the same level as his magnificent 2002s and suffice to say, there are some very clear nights over Maison Potel.

All prices are quoted In Bond unless otherwise stated

Lovely honey and hawthorn blossom notes on the nose. Gentle, supple palate with plenty of peach fruit and lacey, crisp acidity. Subtly oaked and well rounded with attractive oatmeal nuances. Seamless, creamy finish. This is an amazing wine for the price! Drink from release. - armit

Fine floral nose - elegant peach and nectarine fruits on the palate with mineral touches. Ripe, clean and really quite zesty in style. Good structure and intensity for a village Meursault. Drink from release. - armit

A fruity and distinctly exotic nose that is largely, if not completely, tropical in its fruit profile is trimmed in subtle wood toast before dissolving into fruit-driven flavors that are rich to the point of opulence if not especially elegant, all wrapped in a delicious, sappy and long finish. This really isn’t my style but the generosity and lush mouth feel will certainly appeal to some. - 88 points, Allen Meadow's Burghound

Intense mineral nose with bold white peach fruit. Follows through in the mouth with a gentle overlay of caramel notes and integrated vanilla oak. Full bodied and rich but with the vital acid vein, this makes for a wine with a racy and tangy feel. Needs some more time in bottle to show of its best, but plenty of concentration and potential here. Drink from 2009. - armit

Shy nose, more on the palate with precise nectarine fruit and fine minerality. Quite lilting and creamy with a subtle richness and moreish quality. Bold fruit and balancing acidity give the wine definition and poise. Drink from 2009. - armit

Here the wood is no longer subtle though it’s by no means intrusive either with a relatively fruity and ripe nose featuring mostly yellow orchard fruit and discreet spice notes that are also picked up by the complex, intense and delicious flavors that possess fine punch while finishing with class and grace. The depth and length are solid if not sensational and note that this is very forward. 2009+ - 90 points, Allen Meadow's Burghound

Lovely floral, stem ginger nose. Rich, dry and savoury on the palate - with a melée of ripe exotic fruits wrapped around a kernel of fine acidity. Very mineral and oatmeal in character - very much power aligned to finesse. Exemplary expression, definition and style. Really long and tangy finish. Drink from 2009. - armit

This comes from the Puligny side of the appellation. Very tight mineral nose with lovely touches of hawthorn blossom. Immediate and precise power on the palate, with richness and weight, balanced perfectly by a vein of pure, mineral acidity. Still relatively tight and shy there is a superb grip and intensity to this wine. The finish is very long, mineral and with an exotic fruit lift. Fantastic potential. Drink from 2010. - armit

Fascinating nose of lavender and bramble fruits, with a touch of caramelised sugar! A burst of briary fruit gives a wonderful English summer pudding feel to the wine, with a backdrop of Vosne iron minerals. A long, refined finish with notes of spice and black fruits - this is a very good Village Vosne. Drink from 2009 - armit

Quite tight on the nose with some mineral and earthy notes. The palate is much more expressive with lovely savoury and gamey flavours, aligned to black fruits. Quite creamy, already harmonious and balanced, with a racy and mineral lift through the middle palate and finish. A refined Nuits. Drink from 2009. - armit

A shy nose but a burst of savoury, meaty flavours in the mouth. A broad shouldered wine, quite mineral and structured, with fine acid:tannin cloak around a kernel of tight black fruit. Very Vosne in its mineral intensity and sense of restraint, this has great potential and richness. One to keep for a few years. Drink from 2010. - armit

A refined, cool and wonderfully elegant nose features red and blue pinot fruit, violets and ample spice notes that include anise and hoisin that can be found on the rich, full, sweet and more mineral-driven flavors that also possess a seductive velvety texture on the palate drenching finish supported by very firm but not aggressive tannins. This is a relatively powerful yet stylish example of Beaux Monts and recommended. 2014+ - 90-93 points, Allen Meadow's Burghound #29, Jan. 2008

A closed nose, but in the mouth a rich and broad shouldered wine with superb mineral intensity. There is real grip and richness here with a kernel of power and black fruit. A wine of poise and substance, which should see the fruit and mineral expression break out of its shell over the next few years. Drink from 2011. - armit

Intriguing nose of coffee bean, spice, even a note of dark chocolate! Bold, broad structure and mouth feel, this is a full bodied wine. Behind this sinew grip it has intense black fruit and minerality. Very long and defined, this needs keeping - great potential. Drink from 2011. - armit

A more deeply pitched, slightly riper, slightly more complex but slightly less elegant spicy black fruit aromas introduce powerful, intense, concentrated and -very rich flavors brimming with dry extract that completely buffers the firm tannins, all culminating in excellent length. This is an impressive Suchots. 2014+ - 91-93 points, Allen Meadow's Burghound #29, Jan. 2008

Fragrant raspberry jam and lavender nose, with crisp bramble fruit palate. Quite firm, structured Grand Cru with fine mineral and spice notes. Good grip and quite fleshy mouth feel with a long red berry, pastille fruit finish. Drink from 2011. - armit

A very ripe yet beautifully fresh nose offers up elegant aromas of dark berry fruit trimmed in a bit of discreet wood spice leads to mouth coating and exceptionally rich flavors that drench the palate with buckets of dry extract on the textured and velvety finish. This is a relatively big Clos St. Denis that delivers outstanding length on the powerful and very firmly structured finale. Recommended. 2016+ - 91-93 points, Allen Meadow's Burghound #29, Jan. 2008

A tighter, drier counterpoise to the St. Denis, with dark fruits and savoury flavours, wrapped up in a ripe tannic shell. Full bodied and broad shouldered this wine needs time to integrate and reveal its undoubted potential. Very mineral on the finish. Drink from 2012. - armit

A completely different nose this is deeply and more animale with red berry fruit that is also trimmed in a bit of wood spice that dissolves into supple, fresh and attractively textured flavors that are really quite fine for a young Clos de la Roche if perhaps not as complex as one might hope for. 2014+ - 90-92 points, Allen Meadow's Burghound #29, Jan. 2008

Beautiful nose with lovely Indian spice notes. In the mouth a wild and gamey element to the black fruit flavours. Plenty of mineral intensity and richness with a long, sweet fruit finish. Very vital, intense and potentially very fine. Drink from 2012. - armit

A marginally riper nose of spicy red and blue berry fruit that is notably spicy and pure and actually quite elegant as are the sleekly muscled, rich, full, sweet and somewhat surprisingly, rather forward flavors that possess excellent length but not quite the same depth. To be sure, this is really a lovely wine, just not a truly profound one. 2014+ - 91-93 points, Allen Meadow's Burghound #29, Jan. 2008

A melée of red and black fruits on the nose, with touches of damson jam. Really savoury and rich on the palate, nuances of liquorice and spice and quite meaty in texture and flavour. Very impressive in its breadth of flavours and sheer exuberance. Lovely long finish with notes of cassis and a mineral lift - brilliant wine. Drink from 2012. - armit

Exuberant nose with a perfumed mix of black fruits and spice - even touches of star anise. Big fruity entry on the palate with a firm, broad structure and incredible fruit and mineral intensity. Multi-layered, this fills your whole mouth, bursting with pastille black fruits, lavender notes and oatmeal flavours. Deep, long, brooding potentially profound wine, with unbridled class and energy. An absolute beauty. Drink from 2013. - armit

Very generous wood presently dominates the nose, indeed to the point that I question whether there is enough mid-palate sap to absorb it successfully. To be sure, this is no shrinking violet with big, rich and powerful flavors that really coat the mouth with both sap and tannins but this potentially risks drying out with time in bottle. A question mark for me. 2016+ - 90-93 points, Allen Meadow's Burghound #29, Jan. 2008

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