2017 Laurent Ponsot Bourgogne Blanc Cuvee du Perce-Neige

Laurent Ponsot is a well-known winemaker from Burgundy, France, who has had significant influence on the wine industry, both through his wine production and through his efforts to combat fraud in the wine world.

Laurent Ponsot was born into a family with a long tradition of winemaking. He was active for many years in the family business Domaine Ponsot, which is located in Morey-Saint-Denis. Domaine Ponsot was founded in 1872 and is best known for its wines from the Cote de Nuits. Domaine Ponsot's wines are known for their high quality and are often considered some of Burgundy's finest. Laurent Ponsot is known for his natural approach to winemaking, intervening as little as possible in the winemaking process to preserve the natural expression of the grapes and terroir. This means, for example, that he does not use new oak barrels for the maturation of his wines, as he believes this can mask the pure expression of the terroir.

Laurent Ponsot has also become known for his efforts to combat wine fraud. A notable incident occurred in 2008 when he discovered counterfeit bottles of his wines being offered at auction in New York. This led to an extensive investigation, in which Ponsot was personally involved, and contributed to the unmasking of Rudy Kurniawan, a notorious wine fraudster. This incident established Laurent Ponsot as a prominent figure in the fight against wine fraud. In 2017, Laurent Ponsot left the family business to found his own winery, called Laurent Ponsot. With this new project he focuses on producing wines that remain true to his philosophy of minimal intervention and maximum expression of the terroir. His new winery produces wines from traditional Burgundy vineyards as well as from other selected terroirs.

2017 is the first Vintage from Laurent Ponsot himself. This white Burgundy is light gold in color and occasionally shows silver-yellow reflections. The nose is characterized by notes of hawthorn flower, licorice, lemon and grapes, with warmer nuances of honeysuckle, pear, brioche, iodine, marzipan, nuts, peach and pineapple. On the palate you can expect fleshy fruit, with a fresh, salty and lean finish with aromas of licorice and exotic fruit. The freshness, fruity and accessible suppleness of a Bourgogne Blanc make it perfect for dishes such as mushrooms stuffed with shrimps, cottage cheese and chives, roasted fish, roasted vegetables with feta, spinach and ricotta ravioli, etc.