{"title":"Bellene Sale!","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBurgundy lovers, it’s your big day! Nicolas Potel’s Bellene cellar is marked down a full 50% for 24 hours ONLY – including a Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, a few gorgeous Premier Crus, and village wines that will leave you speechless. Prices start at $35 a bottle, and every single one is half-off. Let's Go!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGround shipping included on 6+ bottles sitewide!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"maison-roche-de-bellene-pommard-les-vignots-2020","title":"Maison Roche de Bellene Pommard Les Vignots 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003eLes Vignots happens to be one of the most desirable sites in the village of Pommard – growing old vines of exquisite minerality and finesse in clay and limestone soils, set at 330 meters elevation. This is all-around silky, and fresh, with so much depth and length and strong red fruit qualities encompassing wild raspberries, strawberries, and black currants. A touch of earthiness akin to green tree leaves with some touches of vanilla oak round out this beauty into something generous and graceful. We have it 50% off and under $70, which is almost as lovely as the wine itself!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"First Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50657112621353,"sku":"1006773","price":139.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/files\/First-Bottle-Maison-Roche-de-Bellene-Pommard-Les-Vignots-2020-product-image-10140-large.jpg?v=1752684696"},{"product_id":"domaine-de-bellene-cote-de-nuits-villages-2022","title":"Domaine de Bellene Vieilles Vignes Côte de Nuits-Villages 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eCôte de Nuits-Villages is the smart money of red Burgundy – the appellation that scoops up excellent Pinot Noir from the northern and southern edges of the Côte de Nuits, right alongside big names like Nuits-Saint-Georges, but at a fraction of the price. This bottling pulls its fruit largely from organically farmed old vines in Comblanchien, and it's made by one of Burgundy's most respected hands, Nicolas Potel, at an all-out screaming deal of under $35.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCôte de Nuits-Villages is the appellation that stitches together the best of the \"\u003cem\u003eleftover\u003c\/em\u003e\" villages at the top and bottom ends of the Côte de Nuits – Fixin and Brochon up north, Comblanchien, Corgoloin, and Premeaux down south – vineyards that sit shoulder-to-shoulder with the famous communes but didn't make the cut for their own village label. This particular wine leans on Comblanchien, a village so famous for its hard, glassy limestone that it's been quarried since Roman times for monuments and grand buildings. That same stone is what gives the wine its spine. (Fun history nerd bonus: This style of big-hearted Côte de Nuits is exactly the kind of thing King Henri IV reportedly wanted alongside the Sunday chicken he wished for every family in France. Man had taste.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow, the maker. Nicolas Potel, who sadly passed away last summer, was Burgundy royalty in the working-vintner sense, and his legacy lives on in his wines. He grew up at Domaine de la Pousse d'Or in Volnay, where his father Gérard was a legendary figure in the rise of estate-bottled Burgundy. Nicolas built his own reputation as a négociant with an unmatched contact book before founding Domaine de Bellene (\"\u003cem\u003eBellene\u003c\/em\u003e\" being an old Latin name for Beaune), where he farmed his own vineyards organically and obsessed over old vines. His cellars are literally housed in 16th-century former military buildings in the heart of Beaune. The fruit for this wine comes from vines averaging around 77 years old – ancient, low-yielding plants that give tiny amounts of deeply concentrated Pinot. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the glass, it’s all dark cherry and plum, a lift of violets, subtle spice, and the kind of chalky, saline minerality that makes this feel almost refreshing. The 2022 was fermented with whole clusters for extra structure and rested about a year in large French oak, so it's not an oak bomb, but it's pure, supple fruit with excellent energy and a little grip. It drinks beautifully now and will hold happily for several years, but this is honestly the kind of Burgundy you're allowed to just open on a Tuesday. For under $35, and over 55% off – genuine old-vine Côte de Nuits from a producer of this caliber doesn't come around often, and it won't sit around long. Grab three and shipping's on us!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFOOD PAIRINGS: I would be a happy clam with a simple roasted chicken – with extra salty, crispy skin and collard greens and smashed rosemary potatoes on the side – alongside this humming and blissful Burgundy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"First Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53272129995049,"sku":"1015362","price":69.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/files\/DomainedeBellene_1015362_FB_Rack.jpg?v=1783384154"},{"product_id":"maison-roche-de-bellene-romanee-saint-vivant-grand-cru-2012","title":"Maison Roche de Bellene Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru 2012","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis near-impossible-to-find 2012 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru from the legendary Nicolas Potel is available here at $699 – the lowest price in the country, and almost certainly your last chance to own it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe late Nicolas Potel was founder of Maison Roche de Bellene and stood as one of Burgundy's most dynamic and forward-thinking winemakers. He was known for championing sustainable practices, minimal intervention winemaking, and an unshakable commitment to quality. The son of legendary Domaine de la Pousse d'Or manager Gérard Potel, Nicolas grew up riding the length of the Côte d'Or on his bicycle, tasting old vintages, and trading wines with the region's most revered producers – relationships that ultimately granted him access to barrels that almost no one else could touch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the cellar, Potel fermented with indigenous yeasts and tailored the élevage to the typicity of each wine, using French oak with a judicious proportion of new wood, an approach designed to preserve fruit integrity while building genuine complexity and depth. He worked closely with each grower on crop reduction, harvest dates, and fermentation decisions, completing all élevage at the Roche de Bellene facility himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRomanée-Saint-Vivant traces back to a monastery founded around 900 AD and is the largest of Vosne-Romanée's six Grands Crus, its deep clay-and-limestone soils yielding wines that are typically more ethereal and nuanced than its more brooding neighbors. The 2012 vintage leans beautifully into that identity, with a bouquet that has an earthier, more contemplative character than many of its peers. On the palate, the wine is rich, with an almost liqueur-like depth of black fruit, fine oak integration, and remarkable concentration showing notes of crushed violet, dried rose, warm stone, and a long finish. Now beautifully poised at 14 years young, this is a wine of profound elegance and flawless balance. Fewer than a case remains at our price… a fraction of the usual $1,489 retail, making this one of the most compelling Grand Cru opportunities we've seen in years! \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"First Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53272130027817,"sku":"1015287","price":1199.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/files\/MaisonRochedeBellene_1015287_FB_Rack.jpg?v=1782854552"},{"product_id":"domaine-de-bellene-les-greves-beaune-premier-cru-2022","title":"Domaine de Bellene Les Grèves Beaune Premier Cru 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eBeaune's Les Grèves is, alongside Bressandes, the most famous vineyard in town – and Domaine de Bellene owns a sliver of it. This kind of Burgundy pedigree Burgundy usually clears $200, but we have it here for under $90 with free shipping on just two! We can all but promise – with the ravenous numbers of Burghounds out there – this won’t be around for long!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet's start with the dirt, because in Burgundy it's always about the dirt. \"\u003cem\u003eGrèves\u003c\/em\u003e\" actually refers to the small, sandy stones that make up this vineyard's soil – and Les Grèves is the largest of Beaune's 36 Premiers Crus, prized for its sunny hillside exposure. But here's the fun part… Nicolas Potel's parcel is a postage stamp. Just 0.2 hectares, facing east-southeast, with vines that were planted back in 1904 – meaning we're talking about a 120-year-old plot. Over the past decade, he's taken cuttings from those ancient vines to replant the gaps, so the old-vine DNA stays in the family. Everything here is done by hand, chickens and sheep roam the rows instead of tractors, and there are no herbicides or pesticides.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe man behind it has serious Burgundy bloodlines. Although he passed away last summer, Nicolas Potel's family once owned the legendary Domaine de la Pousse d'Or in Volnay, and after his father's death, he set out on his own, eventually founding both Domaine de Bellene (the estate) and Roche de Bellene (the négociant). What makes this particular bottle special is that it was the only wine in Potel's entire 2022 lineup to get any new oak – roughly 30%, and only because it carried enough power and density to stand up to it. It was also fermented with 100% whole clusters, an intentional move to give it serious spice and structure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the timing couldn't be better, because 2022 is a year people are genuinely excited about. Wine Spectator called it a great vintage that delivered the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay the region had seen since 2017, born from a warm, dry summer that still somehow kept its freshness. It's a notably perfumed vintage, with floral, sometimes exotic aromatics from the stony, limestone sites, and Grèves sits right in that sweet spot. Critic Tim Atkin rated this wine 94 points, calling out its exotic perfume and a brawny core of figs and black plums framed by firm tannin and bright acidity – a wine with real cellar potential that's only going to get better. In other words… It's built to age, but you could just as easily dig in this year (and you'll want to).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe good news for you is that the 2022 averages around $200 on the open market, and we've got it at $89.95. That's 55% off a 120-year-vine, single-parcel Premier Cru from one of Burgundy’s most respected names. Grab two and shipping's on us – but our stash is genuinely small, so make your move!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFOOD PAIRINGS: A bold, whole-cluster Beaune begs for something rustic and French – so go full circle with a classic Coq au Vin, chicken braised in red wine with mushrooms, pearl onions, and bacon. Pour a glass into the pot, and then pour the rest for yourself!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"First Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53272130289961,"sku":"1015343","price":179.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/files\/DomainedeBellene_1015343_FB_Rack.jpg?v=1783002283"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/collections\/50_Off_Mean_Bellene_Sale_24_hours_Only_FB_Group_V1.jpg?v=1793216136","url":"https:\/\/firstbottlewines.com\/collections\/bellene-sale.oembed","provider":"First Bottle Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}