Jean Baptiste Ponsot

History of Domaine Jean-Baptiste Ponsot

The adventure of Domaine Jean-Baptiste Ponsot began in 1954, when Lucien Ponsot, a passionate vine grower within a mixed-farming agricultural estate, founded the family domaine in Rully. His son Bernard then took over and developed the winemaking activity until it became the family's sole profession. A true living encyclopedia of Rully's history, Bernard knew by heart the planting dates, rootstocks, and history of every plot in the village.

In 2000, at just 20 years of age, Jean-Baptiste Ponsot, grandson of the founder, took up the torch and made a bold wager: convincing his parents to stop selling to négociants in order to vinify and bottle the entire harvest themselves. This decision marked the beginning of a profound transformation. Replanting of forgotten plots, leasing of new vines, abandonment of all chemical treatments, construction of a new winery in 2005 followed by a tasting cellar. More than twenty vintages later, Jean-Baptiste has elevated the wines of Rully to the highest level, accumulating distinctions in the specialist press (Guide Hachette, Bettane et Desseauve, La Revue du Vin de France).

Terroirs and Vines of Jean-Baptiste Ponsot

The domaine's vineyard covers 8.8 hectares on the finest hillsides of the Rully appellation, in the northern part of the Côte Chalonnaise, a few kilometres from the Côte de Beaune. This patchwork of plots is divided into 5.10 hectares of Premier Cru, 3.36 hectares of Village appellation, 0.21 hectares of Bourgogne Aligoté, and 0.08 hectares of Chassagne-Montrachet — a 7-are plot acquired in 2021 on the excellent Blanchot-Dessous terroir.

At an altitude of between 250 and 370 metres, the vines benefit from ideal east and south-east exposures, on soils combining marine sediments, Triassic argillaceous sandstone, and Jurassic limestone and marls. This complex geology gives Jean-Baptiste Ponsot's wines their signature freshness and mineral tension. Without herbicides or chemical treatments, the winemaker practices regular soil tillage, high training, leaf removal on the north side to protect against rot, and rigorous bunch sorting directly on the vine, followed by a second sorting on a sorting table before entering the winery.

Winemaking at Jean-Baptiste Ponsot

In the cellar, Jean-Baptiste Ponsot applies precise winemaking methods faithful to the great Burgundian tradition. For the whites, after pressing and 24-hour settling of the must, alcoholic fermentation takes place directly in barrels at 20°C with indigenous yeasts. The wines are then aged for twelve months in oak barrels (with a maximum of 30% new wood, often considerably less depending on the cuvée), then blended in tank for 3 to 6 months to perfect their balance. For the prestige cuvées, and in particular the rare "Cuvée 24", ageing can extend to 16 to 18 months, or even two years.

For the reds, after rigorous sorting, the grapes are vatted and cold-macerated for 4 to 6 days. Fermentation continues at 27°C, then rises to 30°C at the end of the cuvaison, which lasts a total of 21 days. Depending on the vintage and terroir, the winemaker alternates between pigeage and remontage with precision, avoiding excessive extraction. After pressing, the wine spends twelve months in barrels where malolactic fermentation takes place, then three months in tank before bottling, generally in early December. This perfectionist approach produces wines of great fruit purity — upright, vertical, and immediately recognisable.

The Cuvées of Jean-Baptiste Ponsot

Bourgogne Aligoté: sourced from a 0.21-hectare plot, this small Aligoté cuvée offers a taut, fresh, and mineral white wine with notes of citrus and white flowers — a perfect aperitif and a typical expression of the emblematic grape variety of the Côte Chalonnaise.

Rully Village En Bas de Vauvry blanc: a monopole of the Ponsot family, this village cuvée comes from a plot of nearly 3 hectares adjoining the famous Premier Cru Grésigny. On stony limestone soils and white marls, this sensual Chardonnay develops aromas of white flowers, pear, peach, ripe citrus, and finely spiced brioche notes, with remarkable persistence for a Village wine.

Rully Village rouge: a charming Pinot Noir from the hillsides of Rully, marked by fresh red fruits, a spiced framework, and a fluid, simultaneously indulgent and upright palate — a perfect reflection of the house style.

Rully 1er Cru Montpalais blanc: a great Premier Cru from old vines, marked by a stony presence and subtly smoky gunflint notes. On the nose: vine flower, verbena, lavender, mint, anise, pear, vineyard peach, pineapple, and almond. A silky, luminous palate with a finish chiselled by the soil.

Rully 1er Cru Molesme blanc: the flagship wine of the estate, this fresh and elegant Chardonnay stands out for its limestone verticality and subtly mentholated spicy accents. Rich aromatics (flowers, soft spices, almonds, honey, white fruits), a fleshy, sensual palate supported by a peppery mineral energy. A gastronomic wine with Meursault-like accents.

Rully 1er Cru Molesme rouge: a seductive Pinot Noir with a deep ruby colour. Red berries and discreet vanilla notes on the nose, a generous and fresh palate, drawn out by a note of black pepper in a lively and warm finish. A cuvée regularly recognised by the Guide Hachette.

Rully 1er Cru Raclot blanc: a new Premier Cru added to the collection in 2022, sourced from a little-known terroir of marls and brown limestone covered by a thin silty-clay layer, located on the steepest hillsides of the appellation. A fleshy and textured wine with a refined stony imprint, enlivened by notes of citrus zest, liquorice stick, and fresh ginger. A wine for the future, to be cellared for at least three years.

Cuvée 24: a confidential collector's wine produced from a single barrel (300 numbered bottles) only when vintage quality permits. A selection of the finest grapes from the oldest vines, aged for two years. This exceptional cuvée, produced as a Molesme rouge and a Montpalais blanc, displays a concentration, textured sensuality, and depth evoking the finest crus of Chassagne-Montrachet.

Chassagne-Montrachet Blanchot-Dessous: the ultimate jewel of the domaine, sourced from a 7-are micro-plot acquired in 2021, adjoining the 1er Cru Blanchot-Dessus and the mythical Grand Cru Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. An ample and voluptuous Chardonnay, concentrated with fruit and emotion, built to shine over a decade or more in the cellar. A rare and exceptional wine.