About Domaine Ponsot
William Ponsot bought the Morey-Saint-Denis estate in 1872, and the family still holds the largest share of Clos de la Roche, where the Cuvée Vieilles Vignes comes off vines planted in the 1920s. The range takes in Clos Saint-Denis, Chambertin, Chapelle-Chambertin, Griotte-Chambertin, Corton and Corton-Charlemagne, along with the Morey-Saint-Denis premier cru Monts Luisants, a white made from Aligoté rather than Chardonnay. Laurent Ponsot ran the domaine for four decades and left in 2017 to start his own house, and his sister Rose-Marie leads it now. Picking is deliberately late, new oak is avoided, and the wines go into bottle unfined and unfiltered. Laurent Ponsot was also the man who stood up at a New York auction in 2008 to say that bottles of his family's wine in the catalogue could not be genuine, which set the case against the counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan in motion.
Morey-Saint-Denis sits between Gevrey and Chambolle and draws less attention than either. Our Grand Cru Wines and Burgundy Wines pages cover the neighboring estates, and Pinot Noir follows the grape further afield.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Domaine Ponsot best known for?
Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, made from the domaine's oldest vines in the vineyard it owns more of than anyone else. Clos Saint-Denis Cuvée Très Vieilles Vignes sits alongside it, and the white Monts Luisants is the estate's oddity.
Why is Ponsot's Monts Luisants white made from Aligoté?
The vines went in during 1911, before Chardonnay took over white Burgundy, and the family never replaced them. It is one of very few premier cru whites in the Côte de Nuits and the only well known one made from Aligoté.
What is the difference between Domaine Ponsot and Laurent Ponsot?
Laurent Ponsot left the family domaine in 2017 and founded Maison Laurent Ponsot, a separate négociant business. Domaine Ponsot carries on under his sister Rose-Marie. Bottles from before 2017 are domaine wines made with Laurent in charge, while anything labelled Laurent Ponsot after that comes from the new house.
How long do Ponsot wines age?
The style shuts down early and arrives slowly. Grand crus generally want fifteen years and hold for thirty or more, and village and premier cru bottles need at least eight.