Nicolas Potel

My very first buying trip for Gauntleys included a visit to Domaine de la Pousse d’Or, where I had the privilege of tasting with Nicolas’ father, the late, great, Gerard Potel.  As has been well documented, following Gerard’s untimely death, the Potel family had to leave Pousse d’Or, the family home that Nicolas had grown up in. The resilience and determination that the young Nicolas showed at that time, was nothing short of remarkable, as he immediately set about creating his own ’unique’ negociant company.

I say unique, because, due to his vision, together with the loyalty and respect that fellow elite Burgundian vignerons had for the Potel family, he was able to access some great terroir to work with and hence, the emphasis was always on quality, rather than mediocrity. Memories of my tastings with Nicolas, at the early stages of this enterprise, are some of the most precious of my career. There are many producers I would taste with, who would give the briefest answer to any question posed, but even when he was producing what from memory, at times must have been some 80 wines, from the length and breadth of Burgundy, Nicolas seemed to have a feel for every inch of the terroir that each barrel came from, the exposition, age of vines etc., not to mention meticulous decisions re. vinification and elevage. As everyone is saying, his passion for wine and life, was completely infectious.

Indeed, he faced further challenges throughout his journey, but each time he seemed to turn every obstacle into a new success. This involved establishing his own highly successful estate, Domaine de Bellene, together with its negociant arm, Maison Roche de Bellene, which included the exceptional releases of rare gems of mature vintages, named Collection Bellenum. Nicolas’ strength of character, innovative approach and incredible talent were truly inspirational

Thank you, Nicolas, for all the great memories, not to mention the exceptional wines.