樂活酒窖 La Vie Wine

Wine Advocate #186
Dec 2009

David Schildknecht

91

Drink: N/A

From Ponsot's monopole Clos des Mont Luisants (virtually surrounded by grand crus, and which, he opines, represents as steep a slope as exists in the Cote de Nuits), the 2006 Morey-St.-Denis 1er Cru Cuvee des Alouettes exhibits a healthy, deep color; a nose of well-hung game, cassis, blackberry, and dark chocolate; a creamy richness rare in this vintage; and a low-toned finish in which the wine's abundance of tannins becomes evident as a fine, subtly-abrasive though relatively well fruit-covered spread. The more this opened to the air, though, the more game-like notes dominated, so one should probably treat that as an omen for the wine's future rather than a temporary manifestation of reduction which would in any case be rare at Ponsot where the wines are not sulfured.

Wine Advocate #189
Jun 2010

David Schildknecht

92

Drink: 2010 - 2022

“When you drink the 2005,” he continues, “you think: ‘2005.’ When you drink this 2007, you think: ‘Chambolle Charmes.’” The Ponsot 2007 Morey-St.-Denis 1er Cru Cuvee des Alouettes generates dark berry fruit and soy like savor strikingly distinct from the character of its Chambolle siblings. Teak, wood ear mushroom, and smoky animal fat notes lend fascination to the nose and a glycerin-rich, slick, yet persistently sappy palate. There is an invigoratingly tart edge to this that you might anticipate from 2008, but certainly not 2007. Expect it to intrigue your imagination; invigorate your palate; and milk your salivary glands for at least the next 10-12 years.

Wine Advocate #180
Dec 2008

David Schildknecht

(92-93)

Drink: N/A

Laurent Ponsot’s five barrels of 2006 Morey-St.-Denis Mont Luisants tasted for a second time this spring after assembly for bottling represent a return to the 100% Aligote that his great grandfather had planted in 1911, an act which, Ponsot insists, followed a then long-standing tradition of planting that grape in especially chalky and/or nosebleed sectors of the Cote de Nuits. Nectarine, apricot, fresh lime, and iris inform this wine’s effusive bouquet, and a patisserie-like overlay of yeast and vanilla offers lovely counterpoint; speaking of which, a subtly tart fruit skin and citrus zest note I associate with this unjustly maligned grape runs throughout. The interchange of mineral and bright citrus and pit fruit on display here – yet accompanied by a plush texture – is reminiscent of Riesling, and there is a depth of flavor and a richness beneath the wine’s ripe, juicy acidity that promise at least a decade’s worth of fascinating further evolution. The 2005 was even more strikingly – and somewhat more adamantly – mineral from barrel, and will surely be worth a search of the marketplace. Ponsot was not ready to show the bottled wine this Spring. Given this wine’s virtues, it is small wonder that Ponsot is bullish enough on Aligote to have planted more. But he adds that it will take at least a decade for fruit from these vines to merit consideration for white Mont Luisants.