Cover Laurent Ponsot famously left the eponymous Domaine Ponsot in 2017 to set up a new winery that is named after himself
Laurent Ponsot famously left the eponymous Domaine Ponsot in 2017 to set up a new winery that is named after himself
1 / 1
From his latest book on exposing the largest wine fraud in history to the future of his new winery, Laurent Ponsot sheds light on why he is not slowing down any time soon
“To make good wine, you need a broom,” says Laurent Ponsot, who recalls his grandfather’s stance on clean viticulture, when he sat down with Tatler Dining within the opulent confines of the Tiffin Room at Raffles Singapore back in March. The formidable French winemaker is well known among Burgundy wine lovers and is responsible for having singlehandedly raised his family’s winery Domaine Ponsot—one he took over in 1981 from his father Jean-Marie Ponsot—to international acclaim.
Today, while many still cling to colourful narratives of Ponsot when he famously busted wine forger Rudy Kurniawan, most lose sight of the fact that he is first and foremost a gifted winemaker. Having left the eponymous Domaine Ponsot in 2017 to set up a new winery—named after himself, Ponsot now works closely with his son Clément and a team of former staff who left the family business in support of him.
Read more: Coravin founder Greg Lambrecht’s latest invention will change the way people experience wine
Restarting from scratch is never an easy feat. Ponsot had only wines from six appellations when he started seven years ago. After three years of surviving the pandemic, his label now has a portfolio of 30 wines, averaging about 80,000 bottles a year. “We are a recognised haute couture boutique winery but we’re also in the process of rebuilding,” he says, explaining how expensive Burgundy wines have become over the last decade. For that, we look to the vertiginous price hikes of wine plots in Burgundy where a celebrated grand cru vineyard averages “more than US$2 million per acre”.
Above The Laurent Ponsot label now has a portfolio of 30 wines, averaging about 80,000 bottles a year
The Laurent Ponsot label now has a portfolio of 30 wines, averaging about 80,000 bottles a year
1 / 1
Ponsot isn’t delighted about the case as this costly phenomenon prices many people out. “Wine plots in Burgundy sell for ‘anything goes’ prices,” he quips, explaining that the cost of land directly affects the prices of the wines as we’re witnessing today. This results in all-time-high prices for Burgundy wines. “Now there is no real balance of quality of wine between that and the price that it is sold.” The future-forward winemaker hopes that things will go back to normal. But for now, he takes the same pride when producing bourgogne and villages class wine as in his loftier grand crus and premier crus—think Clos Saint Denis and Chambolle-Musigny, making them more accessible.
In case you missed it: By the Glass: Egon Müller of the world-famous Scharzhofberger vineyard shares his favourite Asian food and wine pairings
Above Laurent Ponsot is known for his openness towards technological advancements even in a traditional world of winemaking
Laurent Ponsot is known for his openness towards technological advancements even in a traditional world of winemaking
1 / 1
So has Ponsot’s winemaking philosophy evolved? The modus operandi of letting Mother Nature do the work remains. “Nothing we do is different from before, only raw materials are different,” he affirms. “Despite the AOC, achieving true diversity as the region is also very complex. Hence, we don’t rack our wines, we don’t filter and we don’t add sulphur dioxide to stabilise our wines.”
On maintaining the integrity of Burgundian winemaking, this wine négociant isn’t afraid to challenge the lored notion of tradition. After all, the tech-savvy Frenchman—known for his openness towards technological advancements—was already experimenting with neutral gases such as nitrogen and argon to protect the wines in 1984.
After gathering over a decade’s worth of research on alternative corks and successfully inventing the “technological closure”, he lets in on his most recent research into oak ageing alternatives.
He expounds: “We know that oak barrels allow wines to breathe but that’s about it. I want to find out the true effects and whether we can wholly eliminate the use of barrels. Even with intensive cleaning practices like dry steam to kill bacteria, some may be resistant, contaminating the wine. Stainless steel tanks are the solution but the real question is: how much oxygen do we introduce the wine over time?”
For now, only time will tell—and did we mention that the Frenchman aims to retire only when he reaches the age of 102?
Read more: Top shelf please: The most expensive drinks you can order in Singapore
Ponsot, who recently turned 70, still has a spring in his step. His unapologetically deadpan sense of humour comes forth most when asked about Kurniawan—who is now back in Asia, recreating ‘fake’ wine for the uber-rich to taste side-by-side with the real McCoy, except that it is legal.
Kurniawan’s name still leaves a sour taste in the mouth of the French winemaker. “It was all about principles, never about the money. What he (Kurniawan) did was an attack on the spirit of Burgundy winemaking and I am determined to clean the dirt once and for all,” exclaims Ponsot while discussing his latest book, FBI: Fausses Bouteilles Investigation.
Currently, all of Laurent Ponsot’s grand cru wines come with cutting-edge anti-fraud protection features such as blockchain authentication via “NFC” where the smart chip changes its IP address each time it is read. This ultimately renders forgeries impossible.
Above The French winemaker aims to retire only when he reaches the age of 102 years old
The French winemaker aims to retire only when he reaches the age of 102 years old
1 / 1
To Laurent Ponsot, that very wine spirit, which “starts between two individuals over the same glass of wine”, is sacred. Shrugging his shoulders, he adds: “If everyone shared a bottle of wine, we'd have fewer wars.”
The book, currently in translation from French to English and possibly Mandarin (at the time of writing), is expected to be released in late 2024. It will reveal never-before-seen evidence—and alleged accomplices—left out by existing sources and the popular documentary film Sour Grapes.
Disclosing that he recently sold the rights to produce a movie, Ponsot jokes: “Who knows? Maybe George Clooney might be playing me.”
