A member of the Dijon bourgeoisie and a landowner in Saint Romain, William Ponsot acquired the Clos des Monts Luisants and a plot of Clos de la Roche in Morey Saint Denis in 1872. This is where the Domaine Ponsot begins.

In 1911, Phylloxera crisis affects adversely to William’s vines that he had to replant his plot of white Clos de Monts Luisants with the original Aligote. In the 20s and 30s, he undertook massive replantation of Pinot Noir. The 1911 vines are still there. His godson, Hippolyte Ponsot, who succeeded him in 1920, extended the estate with another plot of Clos de la Roche.

Hippolyte began bottling them in 1921. He was a pioneer at the time. From the 1930s onwards, the estate exported its wines. Clos de la Roche 1934 was the first vintage tasted on American soil. A trained lawyer, he 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.

Between 1950 and 1965, Jean Marie Ponsot was driven by an understanding and respect for nature. He attached great importance to working the soil: keeping it alive, aerated but not compacted. These values still inspire us today. The high-clearance tractor took over from the horse, but mechanisation was not an absolute: our hillside vines are still traditionally planted on terraces.

Besides paying attention on biodiversity, Ponsot family also puts a lot of technological efforts into wine industry. At the end of the 20th century, the pace of innovation quickened, and the estate acquired cutting-edge winemaking equipment: using temperature control, inert gas, a vertical press etc. For over a decade, the development of sensors and NFC technology has enabled us to preserve, trace and track our bottles and guarantee their authenticity for our customers.

Now the domaine is managed by a new team supported by the family’s associate after Laurent Ponsot created his own new estate in 2017.