Domaine Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Cuvée des Alouettes 2018

Critic Scores & reviews

• Decanter

  94

  "Cuvée Les Alouettes is one of four wines that Domaine Ponsot sources from its holdings in Monts Luisants, sourced from a parcel with more top soil in the middle of the slope. Showing subtle reduction and commendable freshness for a wine with 14% alcohol, it's chalky, bright and well-balanced, with a core of red cherry fruit and tany, supporting acidity."

• Jasper Morris MW

  92

  "This comes from the 1er Cru section of Morey’s Monts Luisants vineyard, much of which is today AOC Clos de la Roche. Ponsot labels it Cuvée des Alouettes (an alouette is a lark), to differentiate it from the white wine that also comes from this lieu-dit (the 1er Cru Clos des Monts Luisants Blanc). This section of the vineyard is now ploughed by horse. The vines are between 30 and 50 years old and rooted in white oolite limestone, which typically begets a deep, slow-to-unwind red Burgundy that becomes a vivid, flowing Chambolle-esque 1er Cru with 10 years in the bottle. Previous vintages of this label have been described variously as tasting like a mini Bonnes Mares or a mini Clos de la Roche. The 2018 is another outstanding example of the vintage as the notes below make clear. “Dense purple black with a fresher rim. Exceptional intensity with very fresh acidity, not quite married up yet. Some bilberries, with impressive density."

• The Wine Advocate

  92

  "A touch of youthful reduction dissipates as the 2018 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Cuvée des Alouettes opens in the glass, revealing aromas of rich berry fruits, smoked meats, spices and orange rind. Medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, it's bright and lively, with an elegantly muscular core of fruit that largely conceals the wine's fine structuring tannins. Domaine Ponsot started picking on September 20, and winemaker Alexandre Abel reported yields some 35% to 40% below average, with alcohols in the 14s and healthy pHs at around 3.3. Yet while alcohols in 2019 were if anything higher than in 2018, the 2019 wines are more elegant, with livelier fruit tones and less overtly muscular structure. That's not a criticism of the 2018s, however, which we revisited from bottle, confirming that they are wines that will require patience: interestingly, the most put-together of the range was the Clos de la Roche, a cuvée that was bottled last, in July 2020, and which certainly seemed to have profited from the longer élevage."

• Burghound

  91

  "Here the expressive nose offers up a pretty array of violet, pomegranate and red cherry liqueur trimmed in a hint of earth. There is again very good richness to the more finely detailed and vibrant middle weight flavors that possess better complexity and length on the similarly rustic, indeed even slightly raspy, finish."

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