Nicolas Potel Cotes-de-Nuits Villages 2018

Nicolas Potel, son of the oenologist Gerard Potel, set up his negociant house in 1997 within the Cote de Nuits, and this is his Cote de Nuits-Villages, a Pinot Noir from the northern end of the Cote d'Or in Burgundy. The appellation covers villages at the northern and southern tips of the Cote de Nuits, where limestone and marl soils and cool, well exposed slopes give Pinot Noir its bright red fruit, fine tannin and mineral savour. The continental climate of Burgundy, with warm days and cool nights, holds acidity and builds the delicate aromatics the grape is known for. The wine is farmed biodynamically and raised twelve months in French and Hungarian oak, a gentle wood ageing that adds a light spice and rounds the tannins while keeping the Pinot fruit fresh and lifted. The colour is a bright, intense ruby with violet tints. The nose is expansive, with cherry and red berry fruit over rose, damp earth and a light oak spice, and the palate is medium bodied and silky with fresh acidity, fine tannins and a savoury, lingering finish. Serve at 15 to 17 degrees. Good with roast poultry, duck and mushroom dishes.