Maison Roche de Bellene

Dense, ripe purple with an exuberant nose, this offers a full, richly fruited mouthful, with attractive detail, weight and good length. The oak is integrating nicely. A very pretty, floral style of Echézeaux.

“A vintage of pure happiness,” enthuses Nicolas Potel. He rightly retains enthusiasm for Burgundy as a whole and his own wines in particular, though his life has been made more difficult by the explosion of prices for grapes on the open market. However these cuvées make sense to us: we tasted a wide range and picked out the plums.

Medium deep, bright purple with a healthy heady nose, the use of some whole bunches adds a touch of zest. There follows good, ripe, berry fruit, lively and attractive, more raspberry than strawberry in flavour. The acidity is well harnessed, and the finish admirably persistent. This offers remarkable value in 2014.

“A vintage of pure happiness,” enthuses Nicolas Potel. He rightly retains enthusiasm for Burgundy as a whole and his own wines in particular, though his life has been made more difficult by the explosion of prices for grapes on the open market. However these cuvées make sense to us: we tasted a wide range and picked out the plums.

This was our pick between the Clos de Bèze and the Chambertin this year. Middleweight, this has bright, elegant fruit on its refined nose. The wine is attractive, floral, graceful through the middle, then comes up nicely behind. Notably floral, and very persistent.

“A vintage of pure happiness,” enthuses Nicolas Potel. He rightly retains enthusiasm for Burgundy as a whole and his own wines in particular, though his life has been made more difficult by the explosion of prices for grapes on the open market. However these cuvées make sense to us: we tasted a wide range and picked out the plums.

Les Malconsorts is a wonderful wine from this great Premier Cru vineyard, and has very pretty Vosne-Romanée aromatics, fabulously pure fruit and a refreshingly cleansing minerality.

Most Exciting -Best Value Burgundy Red - vintage 2008
This is the essence of Vosne: darker, more brooding but cool, precise and inviting on both the nose and palate. Really charming with a rewarding follow-through, this is very tasty indeed for reasonably early drinking.
Simon Staples, Sales Director

Nicolas Potel’s Maison Roche de Bellene excels at creating very classy wines from top vineyards at affordable prices. Fine, clear and light, yet bright in colour, this Vosne-Romanée has a fine red fruit nose, a mix of raspberry and redcurrant, with the lightness of touch from these hillside vineyards. Far from a blockbuster, this delivers elegance with an ethereal touch, fair intensity of flavour and a clean, pure, balanced finish. It is approachable now to 2018
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

From a first class vintage, this Clos des Chênes is still a remarkably youthful colour, with a wonderfully lively fruit on both nose and palate. Impeccably balanced, it bears the hallmark of the 2010 vintage, with a racy dark fruit finish. It will certainly develop very well but it is too tempting to try now. 
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

Maison Roche de Bellene Production has recently moved to a new facility on the outskirts of Beaune, which is making life much easier for the Roche de Bellene team. The philosophy stays the same: work with excellent grape sources and get the wines out into the market at competitive prices. The reds have had an excellent following for many a year now, while recently the whites have shown the same impressive price to quality ratio that makes this such a good address.

Glowing a brilliant red to purple, this is quite oaky at first sniff, but offers such a great concentration of fruit behind. This is completely fabulous, amazingly sumptuous yet still so refined. There is so much flavour trapped inside that you only really find it all after the event.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director

Maison Roche de Bellene Production has recently moved to a new facility on the outskirts of Beaune, which is making life much easier for the Roche de Bellene team. The philosophy stays the same: work with excellent grape sources and get the wines out into the market at competitive prices. The reds have had an excellent following for many a year now, while recently the whites have shown the same impressive price to quality ratio that makes this such a good address.

Nicolas Potel has crafted a beautifully silky wine from this prestigious Grand Cru in 2012. The 50% new oak is seamlessly integrated, with fruit from 30 year old vines providing pleasing texture and a classy, persistent finish. This wine will develop many complex layers of flavour over the next 10-15 years.
Anne Mc Hale MW - Wine Education Specialist

A rich, bright purple in colour, this has dense concentration of dark raspberry fruit. It is very intense on the palate with a relatively firm structure that promises longevity. Lovely fresh finish behind. 
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Nicholas feels that the saving grace of the 2013 vintage was the amount of small berries caused by millerandage. He has opted for minimum extraction but longish cuvaison. The white wines have not been stirred because they were rich enough naturally. They are expected to be bottled in December and will all be under DIAM corks, apart from the Grands Crus. The reds will be bottled during February.

Just three barrels made this year, and although it is raised in new wood this does not show, thanks to the concentration of the wine. A rich purple colour with very lively red fruit and some raspberry notes, filling out the middle palate vey well, good weight, attractive acid balance. Another excellent Corton, as in recent years. 
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Nicholas feels that the saving grace of the 2013 vintage was the amount of small berries caused by millerandage. He has opted for minimum extraction but longish cuvaison. The white wines have not been stirred because they were rich enough naturally. They are expected to be bottled in December and will all be under DIAM corks, apart from the Grands Crus. The reds will be bottled during February.

Two barrels were made of this vigorous purple red wine. It has ripe cherry notes and is not heavyweight, but is very appealing. There is a good middle to this, then the structure comes up behind, to confirm that it is going to need time. Happily the ripe cherry fruit returns at the back. 
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Nicholas feels that the saving grace of the 2013 vintage was the amount of small berries caused by millerandage. He has opted for minimum extraction but longish cuvaison. The white wines have not been stirred because they were rich enough naturally. They are expected to be bottled in December and will all be under DIAM corks, apart from the Grands Crus. The reds will be bottled during February.
 

The 2013 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has an attractive mulberry and candied orange peel, touches of wild heather lending a bit of wildness. The oak is nicely integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins: masculine with very fine tension on the black pepper-tinged finish that just needs to muster more flesh and corpulence. That may develop in bottle, of course.
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate - eRobertParker.com - Dec 2014

Medium purple, displaying a really brilliant, lively red fruit nose that is explosive and exciting. On the palate this is a middleweight Corton, with more elegance than the chunkier style which some offer.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

Nicolas Potel has retained the majority of his regular contracts in 2012, though a couple are missing after the hail. Like everybody else, he has had to pay more for his grapes though, especially at the top end of the hierarchy. But as ever there are some delicious wines in the range, and at the lower end the prices are thoroughly competitive.

Taking the place of our usual Vieilles Vignes bottling is this Réserve Spéciale. It is, in fact, a cuvée of Premier Cru Volnay Santenots but cunningly secured at a Village wine price. Do not hesitate! It is marvellously succulent; a terrific wine for the price.

Medium bright red in colour, this has a little touch of bacon fat on the nose. This has rounded out beautifully on the palate, the initial acidity becoming integrated into the fruit and body. Allow time in the glass and the more perfumed nose of classic Volnay will start to come out, and the palate soon adds a layer of velvet.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

This is one of those wines that shows its class from the very first sniff. Absolutely delicious, it has perfectly harmonious fruit, and the harmonious oak from high class barrels is in evidence too. It should drink well quite early on but stay the course.

This has been a star selection in the cellar since the first vintage (2009). It is a beautiful wine: not too deep and dense with a little touch of oak and a fresh finish. Very stylish, this is a great wine at an amazing price.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director Nicolas Potel has installed the négociant arm of his business on the Savigny side of town which gives him plenty of space for making and maturing the wines, along with logistics and office needs, while keeping his Domaine de Bellene operation completely separate in Beaune itself. The selling point here is consistent competence mixed with attractive pricing.

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A beautifully heady nose of wild strawberries announces this wine. The enormous fruit through the middle is pure velvet, and is followed by a fabulous finish with balancing tannins.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director Nicolas Potel has installed the négociant arm of his business on the Savigny side of town which gives him plenty of space for making and maturing the wines, along with logistics and office needs, while keeping his Domaine de Bellene operation completely separate in Beaune itself. The selling point here is consistent competence mixed with attractive pricing.

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There is unquestioning nobility to the nose of this imperial purple wine. It is very powerful and very intense with a backbone of steel. Concentrated, full red, not black, fruit fills the mouth. It displays dramatic intensity and a great sense of nervous tension. This is a superb example of Chambertin.
Jasper Morris MW,Berrys' Burgundy Director Nicolas Potel has installed the négociant arm of his business on the Savigny side of town which gives him plenty of space for making and maturing the wines, along with logistics and office needs, while keeping his Domaine de Bellene operation completely separate in Beaune itself. The selling point here is consistent competence mixed with attractive pricing.

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Dark and brooding on nose, typical Malconsorts class. Lovely lush bright fruit on the palate, but still dark fruit for Vosne’ and huge and brooding, more to come. Loads of ripe grippy tannins to balance the weight of fruit. All there, but will need some time to knit, will be superb.
Chris Pollington, Private Account Manager

This Vosne-Romanée, Les Malconsorts from Roche de Bellene is a combination of two cuvées producing a wine greater than the sum of its parts, which is deep and dense with an exquisite finish.

Burgundy 2009 Best Buys – Grand Cru Wines
The mad genius that can produce such a comprehensive range of wines, all with their own distinctive character, is something to celebrate. Nicolas Potel has proved in 2009 that his Clos St Denis is no exception; poise and precision are all wrapped up in this brooding, yet beguiling, wine.
(Stuart Rae, Cellar Plan Account Manager)

Only two barrels of this thrilling, delicious Grand Cru were made. It has a beautiful, full purple colour with a heavenly, hedonistic nose and abundantly rich, sensual fruit.
(Jasper Morris MW, BBR Buyer)

This was sufficiently reduced to hide everything but the wood though its influence on the palate was considerably less if not invisible. The rich, minerally and utterly delicious medium-bodied flavors possess a subtle minerality that continues onto the mouth coating finish where the wood resurfaces. I suspect that this reasonably well-balanced effort will always display some wood influence but not enough to affect the finishing texture.
Allen Meadows - burghound.com - May 2011

Bright purple, the fruit on the nose is immediately charming, continuing with intensity on the palate, linear and detailed, just ripe enough. Good fruit acid balance and persistent. Really classic for this year, elegant yet focussed. 
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Nicholas feels that the saving grace of the 2013 vintage was the amount of small berries caused by millerandage. He has opted for minimum extraction but longish cuvaison. The white wines have not been stirred because they were rich enough naturally. They are expected to be bottled in December and will all be under DIAM corks, apart from the Grands Crus. The reds will be bottled during February.

Robust, vibrant mid purple, this is pretty powerful stuff with marvellous density to it. It exhibits a concentrated extract of ripe red fruits, tightly-knit but impressive, clearly needing more time. The finish is lovely nonetheless.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

Nicolas Potel has retained the majority of his regular contracts in 2012, though a couple are missing after the hail. Like everybody else, he has had to pay more for his grapes though, especially at the top end of the hierarchy. But as ever there are some delicious wines in the range, and at the lower end the prices are thoroughly competitive.

Medium purple with a stylish, this has an elegant nose, some lifted raspberry notes, and is very elegant. There is a lovely steely core behind, with some toast from the wood, but plenty of energy at the back and excellent length.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

Nicolas Potel has retained the majority of his regular contracts in 2012, though a couple are missing after the hail. Like everybody else, he has had to pay more for his grapes though, especially at the top end of the hierarchy. But as ever there are some delicious wines in the range, and at the lower end the prices are thoroughly competitive.

Brilliant pink purple colour. The nose is a touch subdued but the bright red fruit on the palate shows the quality. A mixture of currants and cherries, all with the elegance of classic Volnay. Drink 2014-2017.
(Jasper Morris MW, BBR Wine Buyer) Showing all the characteristics of this great, and most serious of vintages this is exemplary Volnay. Dense dark fruits and rich spice make this almost drinkable now, such is the purity and finesse to the structure; however I would urge you to cellar this until 2015 and enjoy the development through to 2018, or even 2019 if you prefer yet more development.
Gary Owen, BBR Fine Wine Department

Fine brisk, glowing purple, a really enticing colour before you get on to the nose, a touch of blackberry though otherwise predominantly red fruit notes. Soft and suave and succulent but with presence and structure. Very long finish. A great result.
(Jasper Morris MW, BBR Buyer)

This Vosne-Romane from Roche de Bellene has a lovely ethereal bouquet and is a quintessentially elegant Burgundy. There is a beautifully fragrant and graceful thread running through the palate with a delicate scent of rose petals.