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Domaine Ponsot
Morey-Saint-Denis · Burgundy · France
The Domaine Ponsot has been a pioneer in Burgundy since its founding by William Ponsot in 1872, following his return from the Franco-Prussian war. He purchased land including the now-famous Clos des Monts Luisants. Notably innovative, the estate was one of the first to practise estate bottling in the 1930s.The Ponsots were also trailblazers in understanding the significance of clonal selection for Pinot Noir, helping to develop many vital clones from their vineyards.
“Laurent Ponsot was the one who brought the estate to prominence with his ability to produce distinctive wines that challenged the status quo.”
In 2017, the estate was passed to his sister Rose-Marie and his nephew, William, under the guidance of Alexandre Abel. Fermentation is natural, with minimal intervention, and the wines age in barrels over ten years old to avoid the influence of new wood, which allows their complex, exotic flavours to develop. Laurent Ponsot also dedicated part of his efforts to combating the counterfeit wine trade, particularly old vintages of the domaine’s wines that appear in international markets, using innovative techniques to determine the age of glass bottles to detect frauds.
