2012 - Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Petits Monts, Roche de Bellene

Good bright red. Very ripe aromas of raspberry and smoky minerals. Fat, plush and sweet, offering noteworthy density to its strawberry and raspberry fruit. Finishes rich and long, with sweet tannins and no rough edges. Lovely potential.

The 2012 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Petits Monts has a mixture and red and black fruit neatly folded into the oak – a self-effacing and natural bouquet that does not want to create a fuss. The palate is medium-bodied with fluffy tannins, good acidity but just missing focus on the finish at the moment. There is potential here, but it just needs to align itself during the remainder of its maturation. Burgundy needs personalities and they do not come much bigger than Nicolas Potel. He’s been on the scene ever since I remember him attending some of the London primeur tastings back in the late 1990s. His path to success has never been straightforward: working his way around Australia and California, starting a small negoce a year before the untimely passing of his father and the sale of the Pousse d’Or estate; the sudden explosion of cuvees under his Maison Nicolas Potel label that ultimately led to liquidity problems and the sale to Cottin Freres; the debacle of then being fired from the brand that bore his own name in 2009 and finally, the creation of Domaine de Bellene from his base in Beaune. The maison was amid renovation when I called in on a freezing Thursday evening for a comprehensive tasting of both domaine and negociant wines. Fortunately, there are no longer the 100+ crus of Maison Nicolas Potel back in the 1990s, but through his numerous friends and contacts, Nicolas has still managed to accumulate a considerable portfolio that includes a number of grand crus. And he knows that with such a diverse array of wines, it is vital to keep an eye on standards. To this end, he has adopted organic viticulture in his vineyards, prudently using whole cluster ferments and monitoring the use of new oak so that it is commensurate with the fruit concentration, in particular through his judicious use of larger 600-litre barrels. I guess in some ways you can draw parallels with the Remoissenet operation nearby: focusing on quality at various price points across a broad ran