2013 Potinet-Ampeau Puligny-Montrachet Les Champs Gains

Domaine Potinet-Ampeau is in Monthélie, a tiny town a few minutes drive west of Volnay. Vincent Durrieu is the fifth generation of his family to run the domaine. His grandparents were among the first winemakers in Burgundy to export to the U.S. Durrieu’s grandparents also started the practice of holding back “vins de garde” so that the domaine always has older vintages on offer. Potinet-Ampeau has long had a reputation for making wines for the long haul, meaning that they rest a relatively long time in the domaine’s extremely well-maintained cellar before release. The family owns 21.5 acres of Premier Cru and village vineyards in red and white appellations in Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Auxey-Duresses, Volnay, Pommard and Monthélie. The vineyards are farmed organically.

Les Champ Gain is a 32-Acre acre Premier Cru vineyard in the Puligny-Montrachet appellation of Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. It is up the slope and west of many of the appellation’s Premier Cru vineyards, and in fact wasn’t farmed as a vineyard until the mid-20th century, when the land was cleared of rocks and scrub. The elevation is 300 to 380 meters.

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.