2000 Nicolas Potel Charmes-Chambertin, 1.5ltr

Maison Nicolas Potel is a negociant started in Burgundy in the late 1990s by Nicolas Potel, son of the legendary winemaker Gerard Potel, who founded Domaine de la Pousse d’Or in Volnay. After Gerard’s death in 1997 Nicolas started the negociant business, but a falling out with his business partners in 2009 forced him out of the business that still bears his name. The company is now owned and operated by the brothers Louis and Armand Cottin of Maison Laboure-Roi, a nearly two-hundred year old Burgundy negociant. Nicolas Potel has had no connection with Maison Nicolas Potel since 2009. The Maison offers a large portfolio of Grand Cru, Premier Cru and other Burgundies.

Charmes-Chambertin is a 78-acre Grand Cru vineyard in Gevrey-Chambertin that traditionally includes the acreage of nearby Mazoyeres-Chambertin. For nearly 200 years the growers of Mazoyeres have been legally allowed to sell their wines under the more famous name of Charmes-Chambertin, and virtually all of them do. Charmes-Chambertin is the largest of the Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Crus, and it generally has an excellent reputation. The slope of the vineyard is gentle and the surface soil poor. But producers including Joseph Roty, Christian Serafin, Domaine Dujac, Faiveley and Joseph Drouhin are acclaimed for their Charmes Chambertin. Principal landholders are Camus, with 14.75 acres; Perrot-Minot, 4 acres; and Armand Rousseau, 3.5 acres.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.