1991 Domaine Ponsot Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru

The 1991 Chapelle-Chambertin is an opulent, beautifully concentrated, perfumed wine with lavish quantities of sweet fruit. It is soft and velvety-textured with wonderful mid-palates and length. Its tremendous richness explodes at the back of the palate. However the low acidity and sweet tannins already make this wine delicious. It should drink well for another 10-12 years. The perennially inconsistent Domaine Ponsot has, along with the Domaine Leroy, turned in the vintage's most extraordinary performances. This domaine made mind-boggling 1990s, but a strong case can be built that Laurent Ponsot and his father have fashioned 1991s that are as rich and profound as their 1990s. Certainly their yields were significantly lower. In fact, only Domaine Leroy had yields as low as Ponsot's average of 16 hectoliters per hectare (less than 1 ton per acre). Keep in mind that 1 ton per acre on 8,000-10,000 vines per hectare is considerably different than 1 ton per acre from new world vineyards that have 1200 vines per hectare. In the top grand crus, such as Chambertin, Clos St.-Denis, and Clos de la Roche, Ponsot's yields were between 9-13 hectoliters per hectare - and from exceptionally old vines. This domaine abhors new oak, uses no SO2, and bottles its wines with no fining or filtration, utilizing only nitrogen gas to protect the wine as it is moved from cask to bottle. Bravo to the Ponsots for making some of the greatest red burgundies I have ever tasted - and they have done it in back to back vintages! Importer: Vineyard Brands (Robert Haas), Chester, VT.