2001 Nicolas Potel Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Gaudichots

[William P]

So there is rumor that this is declassified La Tache. Not being a frequent visitor to the rarified world of Burgundy I'm not in a position to pontificate. On the nose is a subdued but lovely dark fruit, leather and minerals. A very Burgundian nose. Nicely balanced, a good mix of fruit, acid and still present tannins. This has a "juicy" quality to it. I am a little shocked that this wine is not at apogee yet. A very masculine wine. Good concentration but I would define the body on the medium scale. On the palate minerality takes center stage. There is dark cherry, minerals, a touch of leather and a finish that has a pronounced drying quality.

[JoelD]

This is supposed to be quite the unicorn vineyard. Forey supposedly makes a good one as well. This has come up as a topic of discussion at multiple recent burgundy tastings. What was the final verdict on satisfaction?

[William P]

Joel, while I drink Bordeaux and collect them, I also have a few burgs. Over my life I have consumed some Grand Cru. Nothing prepared me for this flavor profile. I've read many of the burgheads talk about tasting the terrior and minerality therefrom but I never seen nothing like "you". The intensity and singularity of that flavor profile on the palate was unique. It's not that there was a lack of pleasure, but it definitely was a learning experience. The one aspect that did not interest me was that drying finish. I suspect this is a "wood" issue, but I'm not sure.

So, there was satisfaction. It will be interesting to give my last bottle another 10 years. Hopefully I'll make it.

Bill

[Nicklasss]

Interesting comment William. I like the red wines of Bourgogne, but Vosne-Romanée never "rang my bell", even if it is one of the aoc with the greatest reputation. For me, Bourgogne must have good proportions but without too much concentration or oak. I always feeled that Vosne is a "forced" Bourgogne, the terroir pushing the Pinot Noir to darker/spicyer wines, and the producers allowing more oak that on other aoc.

I think i have only one or two bottles of Vosne-Romanée left, preferring lately to buy the other V wine of Bourgogne, Volnay. On the North, I'm preferring Chambolle and Nuits Saint Georges.

Nic

[JimHow]

I bought a couple bottles of the basic 2017 Jadot Nuits St. Georges last week, I wonder if they are any good?

[JoelD]

Joel, while I drink Bordeaux and collect them, I also have a few burgs. Over my life I have consumed some Grand Cru. Nothing prepared me for this flavor profile. I've read many of the burgheads talk about tasting the terrior and minerality therefrom but I never seen nothing like "you". The intensity and singularity of that flavor profile on the palate was unique. It's not that there was a lack of pleasure, but it definitely was a learning experience. The one aspect that did not interest me was that drying finish. I suspect this is a "wood" issue, but I'm not sure.

So, there was satisfaction. It will be interesting to give my last bottle another 10 years. Hopefully I'll make it.

Bill

Interesting, thanks. I found some similar reservations with the 2005 Potel Petit Monts that was opened over the summer with a few burghead friends who both found it better than I did. A little to much wood and a came across as a bit disjointed and out of balance. Although it had tons of interesting pieces there. Fun to try, but didn't blow me away, "lesser" 05's that night showed better to me. Maybe its the producer? I think I will (try) to find a Forey to try sometime instead and see how that compares.

[Antoine]

I have a few Forey Gaudichots (08, 10, 12 and 15) and Petits Monts.

Note these are not La Tache and cannot be as these Gaudichots are very small pieces of land on the outskirts of La Tache either above or below hence without the same soil, height....

Forey notoriously needs a lot of time as it was made in a very traditional way. Some people claim the style has evolved towards more approachable... I will wait for 2023 for the 2008 and take it from here.
Price has recently rocketed as people have started considering it as a cheap La Tache... Dream on I suppose...

They should provide a good Vosne 1er cru experience... nothing more as no great producer makes a version.

Ref Vosne being a forced bourgogne, this is only true with some producers. I have hundreds of Vosne 1er crus and have drunk tens of them... and have had very few "forced" wines and many gorgeous wines including light and airy with some spice.

NB I also love Chambolle and Nuits St Georges but here again quality is about producer...

NNB it is way too early for 2005s and you have experienced why 2005 Grand cru and 1er crus should not be touched before 2025. Try a 2002 or a 2007 and share your experience...

[William P]

Just to give a little historical background on the rumor of Potel and La Tache. A portion of the Les Gaudichots (LG) vineyard was sold to La Tache and incorporated into La Tache wines. Since 1932 those LG vineyards owned by La Tache could be sold as either La Tache or LG. My understanding is Forey owns the rest of LG and does not seller grapes or wine to other vinters such as Potel. Now some say that was not true in 2001. I'm not sure that Forey has ever addressed the issue. Bottomline, grapes coming from La Tache's LG vineyard can be declassified and called LG. BTW La Tache is owned by DRC.

Bill

[stefan]

>>
A portion of the Les Gaudichots (LG) vineyard was sold to La Tache and incorporated into La Tache wines.
>>

This I do not understand, Bill. In Pauillac, Lafite can buy Grand-Puy-Lacoste and bottle everything as Lafite, but in Burgundy vineyard boundaries are set in stone.

[William P]

This I do not understand, Bill.

Bill, circa 1933 DRC La Tache bought Liger-Belair La Tache.
This is from La Tache wiki but I've confirmed this information from other sources. It's explains the politics.

Up until 1932, the neighbouring vineyard of Les Gaudichots could be sold either under its own name or as La Tâche. In this year the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, which owned vineyards in Les Gaudichots applied to have it merged into La Tâche. This was opposed by Liger-Belair who owned the smaller, and historical La Tâche.[4] However, Liger-Belair lost and most of Les Gaudichots was absorbed into La Tâche, except for some parts that were deemed to be of Premier Cru rather than Grand Cru quality, and which have remained a separate vineyard under the name Vosnée-Romanée Les Gaudichots, consisting of three discontinuous plots.[1] In 1933, following the death of the Comtesse Liger-Belair in 1931, Liger-Belair's vineyards had to be auctioned off, including their La Tâche holding,[5] and it ended up with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.[4]

Bill

[Antoine]

Forey does not hold all of gaudichots small parts. (total Gaudichots is 1.02 Hectare)
Domaine Marchard de Gramont (Premeaux Prissey) also owns a small part (not to be confused with Bertrand Machard DG)
Domaine du Palais also owns 0.23 Hectares
The 2 latter are very low key producers and it is possible they did sell to negociants in the 2000s.
Lucien Le Moine sells a negociants version at a silly price and gets rave reviews (he may have taken over from Nicolas Potel (?)
Of course, you are right about the possibility for DRC to sell some wine as Gaudichots, it is probable they would sell the lower quality stuff though (but difficult to predict if it is still lower quality after 15 years...)

[William P]

Forey does not hold all of gaudichots small parts.

Thanks for setting the facts straight.

[Tom In DC]

Interesting. The vineyards are set in stone but the marketing seems more flexible. The one I am most certain of is that the sub-plots of Corton -- all Grand Cru -- can be labeled with or without the sub-plot designation.

I can easily see where DRC might declassify the Les Gaudichots grapes from La Tache in years when those grapes aren't quite up to inclusion in the grand vin. Would certainly sell for a lot more than whisper Vosne-Romanee!

[Antoine]

No, this is not that simple and certainly not flexible, rather based on history as William reported. Clearly, grand cru can be declassified as 1er cru (Example: Musigny declassified as Chambolle 1er cru by De Vogue for wine from young vines). DRC entitled to declassify some La Tache as Vosne 1er cru and add les Gaudichots.
However, the extension of La Tache to include most of Gaudichots has been a long drawn process requiring approval by the authorities.