Bill Nanson has called this wine the “standard-bearer of the iconoclasm of the Domaine,” and he is right on the money. Ponsot’s remarkable and age-worthy Clos des Monts Luisants is unique on several levels. Not only is it a monopole, but for a long time was the only white Premier Cru in Morey-Saint-Denis. Dujac now makes a white Monts Luisants, but not from the Clos. Nonetheless, this remains the only Premier Cru in all of Burgundy that is 100% Aligoté (and ancient Aligoté at that)!
At different times in this vineyard’s history, there have been small quantities of Chardonnay and Pinot Gouges (a white mutation of Pinot Noir) in the blend. From 2004, it returned to its origins of 100% Aligoté, mainly from a selection of vines planted in 1911. Since 2015, a parcel of younger-vine fruit comprises 15% of the blend, lowering the average age to approximately 90 years. The soils in the Clos are grèzes litées over white oolite and Dijon-Corton limestone base. The grapes were pressed in Ponsot’s pneumatic press, then fermented in tank and barrel before aging in neutral oak (all barriques between 10 and 60 years old). Simply a great wine of place—we defy anyone to pick the variety blind. The 2023 is a superb example. Far more seduction and complexity than people expect of this variety. It remains for us, the benchmark example of Aligoté.