Domaine Ponsot

Domaine Ponsot dates from 1872, when William Ponsot, a member of the Dijon bourgeoisie and a landowner in Saint Romain, acquired the Clos des Monts Luisants and a plot of Clos de la Roche in Morey-Saint-Denis. Hard hit by the phylloxera crisis, William had to pull up his vines, and in 1911 he replanted his white Clos des Monts Luisants plot with Aligoté; those 1911 vines are still there. His godson Hippolyte Ponsot succeeded him in 1920 and extended the estate with another plot of Clos de la Roche. The company is Domaine Ponsot SAS, at 21 rue de la Montagne in Morey-Saint-Denis. As of March 2017 Laurent Ponsot retained 25% ownership of Domaine Ponsot and his sisters Rose-Marie, Catherine and Stéphanie owned the other 75%; in June 2018 the estate was still owned by Laurent, Rose-Marie, Catherine and Stéphanie Ponsot.

• 1872: William Ponsot acquires the Clos des Monts Luisants and a plot of Clos de la Roche in Morey-Saint-Denis
• 1911: after phylloxera, William replants the white Clos des Monts Luisants plot with Aligoté
• 1920: godson Hippolyte Ponsot succeeds William and adds another plot of Clos de la Roche
• Owners (2017 and 2018): Laurent, Rose-Marie, Catherine and Stéphanie Ponsot; Laurent held 25% as of 2017

Hippolyte Ponsot, a trained lawyer, began bottling the domaine's wines in 1921 and became involved in the battle to defend the Appellations Contrôlées; in 1936 Morey's Grands Crus were among the first AOCs to be granted Appellation Contrôlée status. The late Jean-Marie Ponsot, a keen geologist, attached great importance to working the soil from the 1950s onwards. The domaine credits massal selections of pinot fin, initiated by Hippolyte and experimented with by Jean-Marie, with giving rise in the 1970s and 1980s to the main clones of pinot fin, most of which come from its Clos de la Roche. As of 2018 the estate was a family enterprise run by the four children of Jean-Marie Ponsot; Laurent Ponsot and his sister Rose-Marie took over management of the estate in 1997. Laurent Ponsot, the fourth-generation winemaker at Domaine Ponsot, left the domaine in 2017 to create a négociant business in his own name with his oldest son, Clément, based in Gilly-les-Cîteaux. As of June 2018 Rose-Marie Ponsot was the sole director of the company, and Alexandre Abel, who had vinified around the world, had been at the domaine for a little more than a year. Rose-Marie Ponsot is publication manager of the domaine's website.

• Hippolyte Ponsot: trained lawyer; began bottling in 1921; involved in the battle to defend the Appellations Contrôlées
• Jean-Marie Ponsot: keen geologist; emphasised working the soil from the 1950s onwards
• 1997: Laurent and Rose-Marie Ponsot take over management of the estate
• 2017: Laurent Ponsot leaves to create a négociant business with his son Clément, based in Gilly-les-Cîteaux
• Rose-Marie Ponsot: sole director as of June 2018; publication manager of the domaine's website
• Alexandre Abel: at the domaine a little more than a year as of June 2018

Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes covers 3.2 ha, with grapes from old vines located two-thirds in the original Clos de la Roche climat and one-third at the foot of the hillside in the Clos des Monts-Luisants. Chapelle-Chambertin covers 0.5 ha. The Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Crus Clos des Monts-Luisants Monopole and Cuvée des Alouettes cover 1 ha each, the Alouettes vines lying in the heart of the Clos des Monts-Luisants, separated from the Clos de la Roche by just one metre. Morey-Saint-Denis Cuvée des Grives came from 0.35 ha in 2020, at the top of the Monts-Luisants hillside bordered by the forest. Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée de l'Abeille comes from 0.51 ha in Les Epointures, replanted in 2014. Bourgogne Cuvée du Pinson came from 0.5 ha in 2020 of young vines from the domaine's Morey Saint Denis or Gevrey-Chambertin appellations that reclassify into the Bourgogne appellation. Vines are planted at 11,000 plants per hectare and farmed sustainably, and the harvest is hand-picked with sorting in the vineyard. In 2018 the domaine created a conservatory of its 1911 Aligoté and Pinot Noir plants from its oldest vines. The Saint Romain Cuvée de la Mésange is made from purchased fruit and has been made since 2011.

• Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes: 3.2 ha, two-thirds in the original Clos de la Roche climat and one-third in the Clos des Monts-Luisants
• Chapelle-Chambertin: 0.5 ha
• Clos des Monts-Luisants Monopole: 1 ha; Cuvée des Alouettes: 1 ha
• Cuvée des Grives: 0.35 ha in 2020; Cuvée de l'Abeille: 0.51 ha in Les Epointures, replanted in 2014
• Cuvée du Pinson: 0.5 ha in 2020 of young vines reclassified to Bourgogne
• 2018: conservatory of the domaine's 1911 Aligoté and Pinot Noir plants created
• Saint Romain Cuvée de la Mésange: purchased fruit, made since 2011

The Domaine Ponsot range comprises the Grand Crus Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes and Chapelle-Chambertin; the Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Crus Cuvée des Alouettes and Clos des Monts-Luisants Monopole; the village wines Morey-Saint-Denis Cuvée des Grives and Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée de l'Abeille; and Bourgogne Cuvée du Pinson. The domaine calls Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes its historic and emblematic wine. The Clos des Monts-Luisants, its second wine, was first bottled on the estate in the early 1920s; the domaine describes it as a rare white Premier Cru from the Côte de Nuits and the only one produced with the Aligoté grape variety. A separate Maison Ponsot range comprises Saint Romain Cuvée de la Mésange, Corton Charlemagne, Corton Cuvée du Bourdon and Corton Bressandes. Average production ranges from 1,200 bottles of Cuvée du Pinson to 10,000 bottles of Clos de la Roche.

• Grand Cru: Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes (Pinot Noir, about 10,000 bottles); Chapelle-Chambertin (Pinot Noir, about 2,300 bottles)
• Premier Cru: Morey-Saint-Denis Cuvée des Alouettes (Pinot Noir); Morey-Saint-Denis Clos des Monts-Luisants Monopole (100% Aligoté)
• Village: Morey-Saint-Denis Cuvée des Grives; Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée de l'Abeille
• Regional: Bourgogne Cuvée du Pinson
• Maison Ponsot: Saint Romain Cuvée de la Mésange (Chardonnay), Corton Charlemagne (Chardonnay), Corton Cuvée du Bourdon (Pinot Noir), Corton Bressandes (Pinot Noir)

Domaine Ponsot describes its wines as "Winemakers' wines, respectful of the living world, which are the expression of their respective terroirs." Red wines are destemmed, fermented naturally in traditional vats with no sulphiting, and aged in French oak barrels with no racking during ageing; for white wine, whole bunches are pressed and natural fermentation starts in stainless steel vats and ends in barrels, also with no sulphiting. No new barrels are used, and average barrel age is 15 to 20 years for the Domaine wines. In a 2018 interview with Burgundy-Report, Rose-Marie Ponsot said: "In the cellar we are still using old barrels, waiting for good maturity grapes, making triage in the vines, passing through the vines more than once."

• Domaine Ponsot: "Winemakers' wines, respectful of the living world, which are the expression of their respective terroirs."
• Reds: destemmed, natural fermentation in traditional vats, no sulphiting, no racking during ageing in French oak
• Whites: whole bunches pressed, fermentation from stainless steel vats into barrels, no sulphiting
• No new barrels; average barrel ages of 15 to 20 years for the Domaine wines
• Rose-Marie Ponsot (Burgundy-Report, 2018): "In the cellar we are still using old barrels"

Clos de la Roche and Chapelle-Chambertin are the domaine's Grand Crus, and both Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Crus are from the climat Monts-Luisants. Clos de la Roche 1934 was the first vintage tasted on American soil, and the estate has exported its wines from the 1930s onwards; today its wines can be found in some forty countries on four continents. For over a decade the domaine has used sensors and NFC technology to trace its bottles and guarantee their authenticity. The family took the decision together to adopt the Ardea seal closure, with test bottles in 2007 and a full change in 2008. The domaine marked its 150th anniversary with a book published by Editions Faton.

• Grand Crus: Clos de la Roche, Chapelle-Chambertin; Premier Crus from the climat Monts-Luisants
• Clos de la Roche 1934: the first vintage tasted on American soil
• Wines found in some forty countries on four continents
• Sensors and NFC technology used for over a decade to trace bottles and guarantee authenticity
• Ardea seal closure: test bottles in 2007, full change in 2008
• 150th anniversary marked by a book from Editions Faton

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://domaine-ponsot.com/en/home/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/en/history/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/en/from-vine-to-wine/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/en/our-wines/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/en/legal-notice/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/produit/clos-de-roche-en/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/produit/chapelle-chambertin-en/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/produit/morey-saint-denis-monts-luisants-en/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/produit/morey-saint-denis-alouettes-en/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/produit/morey-saint-denis-en/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/produit/gevrey-chambertin-en/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/produit/bourgogne-en/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/produit/saint-romain-en/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/produit/corton-charlemagne-en/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/produit/corton-en/, https://domaine-ponsot.com/produit/corton-bressandes-en/. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/laurent-ponsot-leave-family-winery-burgundy-357421/, https://www.burgundy-report.com/burgundy-report-extra/05-2018/domaine-ponsot-2016/, https://www.winespectator.com/articles/laurent-ponsot-leaves-family-s-burgundy-domaine-54645. Last verified 2026-10-12.