Celebrating Excellence: POOT Agenturen’s 50th Anniversary.
Earlier this year we attended POOT Agenturen’s 50-year anniversary tasting, at the Van Der Valk Hotel in Nootdorp. A full floor filled with producers (65), buzzing with clients and wine lovers, offered a great overview of the portfolio of this established importer, with no less than 650 open wines.
With a selection of the Dutch Wine Apprentice team had the privilege to participate in this event, that also featured a deep-dive into the richness of Bordeaux, with a Bordeaux Masterclass (but all about that in this article).
For this article we selected 6 producers out of the wide selections of wineries on the tasting floor, all of iconic producers that focus on the best vineyards in their region. Writings and ratings by our Kazumi Uejo, Marlon Rouw and Louise Kleijweg bring you to France, Italy and Germany.
POOT Agenturen: A Global Connoisseur of Fine Wines
Founded half a century ago in 1974, POOT Agenturen began its journey as a specialist in the exquisite wines of Bordeaux, France. It wasn’t long before they expanded their expertise to include the revered wines of Barolo from Piedmont, Italy. Over the decades, POOT Agenturen has evolved from a local agency into a pivotal global importer and agent, bridging the gap between renowned wine producers and a sophisticated clientele spread across the world.
Starting with a strong foundation in Bordeaux—a region synonymous with top-tier wines—POOT Agenturen has maintained a focus on cultivating relationships with a network of excellent producers, ensuring a consistent supply of premium wines. Similarly, their ties to Piedmont have allowed them to offer an outstanding selection of Barolo wines, which are highly prized for their rich history and complex flavors.
POOT Agenturen’s approach is built on more than just supplying wine; they invest significantly in fostering long-term partnerships. This commitment is evident in their unique service offering known as ‘ex-cellars,’ where clients have the option to personally collect wines directly from the producers. This method not only reduces costs by avoiding storage fees but also allows wine enthusiasts access to a more extensive and exclusive array of choices. This flexibility is a testament to POOT Agenturen’s dedication to catering to the specific needs and preferences of their clients, ensuring they receive the best value and experience.
Their portfolio has expanded significantly over the years to include a vast range of wines from both the Old World and New World. From Europe to emerging wine regions in Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, the United States, and South Africa, POOT Agenturen ensures that their inventory is as diverse as their clientele. This extensive selection caters to everyday consumers as well as connoisseurs in the Netherlands and Belgium, with each wine chosen to reflect the company’s high standards for quality and distinctiveness.
As POOT Agenturen celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, with a legacy that is marked by a commitment to excellence, a broad and inclusive selection of fine wines, and a deep respect for both their suppliers and customers. This enduring dedication ensures that POOT Agenturen remains a respected name in the global wine industry, continually connecting people with the rich traditions and exciting innovations of the wine world.
Place de Bordeaux
Our first producer is not really a producer, but one of the world’s top trading platforms: Place de Bordeaux. POOT offers a top selection of wines available on Bordeaux operates under a unique commercial system known as “Place de Bordeaux.” Rather than selling wines directly, producers sell to negociants, who then sell them to importers, wholesalers, and retailers worldwide. The relationship between negociants and producers is facilitated by brokers known as “courtiers.” Each party charges for their services, and the market itself is referred to as “La Place.” Presently, there are approximately 400 negociants in Bordeaux who handle not only Bordeaux wines but also wines from other regions such as Tuscany, Ribera del Duero, or Chile.
During our tasting, we had the opportunity to sample some beautifully crafted wines in the Bordeaux style that had been processed through the “Place de Bordeaux” system, originating from other regions around the world.
2020 Mazzei Concerto di Fonterutoli
80% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon – Tuscany, Italy.
One of the so-called, “Super Tuscans” using non-native varieties in Tuscany, produced by Mazzei. Plenty of sweet fruits, including sweet black cherry, wild berry, blackcurrant, herbs, spices on the nose. Rich and juicy on the plate with ripe tannins. Powerful but refined aftertaste.
We reward this classic style with a 93-point DWA score (KU).
2020 Almaviva
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carménère, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Merlot – Puente Alto, Chile.
Almaviva is another joint venture from Chile, this time by Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Vina Concha y Toro. An iconic Chilean wine, crafted from a blend of traditional Bordeaux grape varieties. This wine is already displaying aromatic richness and generosity, complemented by its beautiful structure and density. The nose is notably pure and focused, revealing multiple layers of aroma, including raspberry, strawberry, cassis, blackberry, spices, coffee, and earth. On the palate, it offers a juicy and harmonious mouthfeel, with refreshing acidity adding to its appeal.
We reward this classic style with a 97-point DWA score.
2021 Seña
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Malbec, 17% Carménère, 6% Petit Verdot – Aconcagua Valley, Chile.
Seña is an iconic Chilean wine produced by the wonderful partnership between Eduardo Chadwick and Robert Mondavi. A slight cooler vintage compared to 2020, showcasing delicate aromas of strawberry, rose petal, blackcurrant, and a hint of spices. Refreshing juicy acidity and delicious linear palate with fine-grained tannins, has an extraordinary ageing potential.
We reward this classic style with a 98-point DWA score (KU).
Cavallotto
Now on to the first producer that brought its own wines. In the center of the Barolo DOCG in the hills of Piedmont, the esteemed winery of Cavallotto is situated. Being a family-owned estate with a storied history dating back to 1928 in the local village called Castiglione Falletto. Cavallotto is one of the oldest winemakers in Barolo and the traditional winemaking techniques, in order to honor the terror, are still used nowadays. Wines are primarily made from the Nebbiolo grape variety, but also Barbera has earned a spotlight in their portfolio with their incredible Barbera d’Alba Superiore.
During the tasting, we had the luxury of tasting various years of the same wine, the single vineyard (or Cru as it’s called in Barolo) Bricco Boschis. With this vertical tasting, the influence of the weather became even more evident. In the previous Bordeaux tasting, there were other aspects that could have affected the wines, e.g. blends of multiple different grape varieties, terroir of different vineyards, etc. The beautiful thing of this flight is that the grape variety remains 100% Nebbiolo. After talking to the winery’s representative, she explained that the winemaking techniques also remained similar over the years. Providing us with an interesting comparison where most variables were defined.
2019 Barolo Bricco Boschis BIO
100% Nebbiolo, Barolo – Italy
Being the youngest, you would say this one is less ready to drink compared to the slightly older wines. However, this vintage was not only the most pleasurable to enjoy already, its ageing potential was also evident. This wine was made during a maceration period of 30-35 days under controlled temperatures. The wine is aged on Slavonian oak casks during a period of 36 – 42 months after which it is kept in the bottle for 6 months before it is offered for sale. On the palette, this powerful Barolo has tones of cherries, raspberries and licorice. Compared to 2018 and 2017, this wine has soft and round tannins that are already nicely integrated in the wine. This wine is ready to enjoy now but will only get better with the years. The finish of this wine will keep you longing for more.
We reward this Barolo with a 95-point DWA score (MR).
2018 Barolo Bricco Boschis BIO
100% Nebbiolo, Barolo – Italy
As mentioned before the three wines are made in the exact same way. 2018 showed some differences compared to 2019 especially in structure, tannins and acidity. The aromas and taste on the palette are rather similar, though 2018 had slightly more blackcurrant. The acidity in 2018 was a bit higher than 2019, which is explained by the cooler temperatures and higher amount of rain in this year. Also, the tannins were a little less smooth and the wine can be described as sharper and more powerful. Note that this is a comparison between the wines and this wine is still rather smooth and integrated. The ageing potential of this wine is equally great and the finish even long.
We reward this Barolo with a 93-point DWA score (MR).
2017 Barolo Bricco Boschis BIO
100% Nebbiolo, Barolo – Italy
Again, made according to the same principles. 2017 was slighter more closed and less intense on the nose compared to 2018 and 2019. This elegant and typical Barolo had some notes of cherry, licorice, blackcurrant and leather. 2017 was rather dry and hot resulting in a smaller production of this vintage. The structure of this wine was the most robust of the three with tannins that could use longer ripening. Of the three, this wine would be best storing rather than consuming now. The finish and complex aftertaste showcase its ageing potential.
We reward this Barolo with a 93-point DWA score (MR).
2017 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe BIO
100% Nebbiolo, Barolo – Italy
The organic fruit for this single vineyard wine comes from a select parcel on the hilltop within the Bricco Boschis Cru, with 60-year-old vines. Being a Riserva this wine was made during a maceration period of 30-35 days under controlled temperatures. The wine is stored on Slavonian oak during a period of 40 – 60 months after which it is kept in the bottle for 12 months before it is offered on the market. This well-balanced wine offers notes of raspberries, strawberries, roses and spices. This elegant wine is produced in low volume (only 6,637 bottles) and shows its quality with complexity, intensity and an insanely impressive finish.
We reward this Barolo Riserva with a 96-point DWA score (MR).
Nervi-Conterno
Being the oldest estate of the northern part of Barolo, Nervi-Conterno dates back to 1906. Quite recently, in 2018 Roberto Conterno, from the famous estate “Giacomo Conterno”, bought Nervi-Conterno. Ever since, the focus is on another area, called Gattinara, which is similar to Barolo and Barbaresco, and offers great circumstances for the Nebbiolo grape. The soil in Gattinara is famous for its (volcanic) minerality and clay.
2020 Gattinara, Piedmont – Italy
100% Nebbiolo
This wine is aged on new oak for 30 months where malolactic fermentation is conducted. On the nose cherry, white pepper, sage and flowers are noticed. The structure on the palette is soft and elegant. The delicate touch of butter and subtle tannins are well-balanced with the acidity. The long finish is complex and shows great ageing potential.
We reward this Nebbiolo with a 92-point DWA score (MR).
2019 Gattinara Vigna Valferna, Piedmont – Italy
100% Nebbiolo
Valferna is one of the best areas of Gattinara and a vineyard that is used to produce its own single vineyard wine. After 3-4 weeks on the skins, the wine is kept on oak casks for 4 years. The result is an integrated wine with finesse showing tones of cherry, roses, mint and a hint of smoke. The acidity in the wine keeps the wine fresh, even with this great complexity. Again, with great length and ageing potential.
We reward this single vineyard Nebbiolo with a 94-point DWA score (MR).
2019 Gattinara Vigna Molsino, Piedmont – Italy
100% Nebbiolo
Molsino is just like Valferna also one of the best areas of Gattinara, this vineyard is planted in 1992. The winemaking process was identical compared to the Valferna 2019. The vineyard is more South facing situated at even more height: 350 – 420 meters. This wine shows more spicy, leather and earthy tones compared to Valferna. The wine is balanced with great intensity in the nose. The tannins and acidity form a classic Nebbiolo wine with power and complexity. Even tough tertiary aromas are already present, this wine shows incredible ageing potential.
We reward this single vineyard Nebbiolo with a 95-point DWA score (MR).
Braida
In the Barolo tasting room we also found a representative from Braida winery, a lovely Italian lady chipping away in Italian with her neighbor. Braida is owned by Giacomo Bologna, who is considered to be the Barbera-king of Piemonte. The winery has been in the family for multiple generations and has a reputation of being a classic example of what a Barbera should look like. The tasting of three of their classics did not disappoint.
2020 Barbera d’Asti Bricco dell’Uccellone
100% Barbera d’Asti, single vineyard.
With her small Italian vocabulary, our Louise always gets excited when she sees a word she recognizes on a label. ‘Uccellone, doesn’t that mean bird in Italian?’ She asked the lady, after which she excitedly continues to tell the story about how the wine is named after a grumpy, old woman who lived on the hill where the vineyards were located. The grumpy, old lady had the nickname of Uccellone, because she always wore black and her nose was shaped like a bird’s beak. The story goes that she did not want to sell the vineyard to Giuseppe Bologna, but instead sold it to the butcher in town, who then sold it to Giuseppe for triple the price.
Even though we would be a little bitter about this transaction, this wine, which is an homage to her, is nothing but bitter. This wine has pronounced aromas of red berries and forest fruit with some notes of vanilla, spices and liquorice. After fermentation the wine is oak aged for 12 months after which it is bottle aged for another twelve giving it some nice wood tones and a long finish.
We award this Barbera with a 92-point DWA score (LK).
2019 Barbera d’Asti Bricco della Bigotta
100% Barbera d’ Asti, single vineyard.
Just like the last wine, the Bricco della Bigotta is named after a woman who lived next door to the vineyard. This lady was very concerned about the rules and appearances of religion, but not so much with the spirit behind it. Braida likes to say that they added the spirit to her name in this beautiful Barbera wine. This wine is rich, intense and has pronounced aromas of liquorice, violet, plum and vanilla. On the palate the fruit and spices are more prominent, yet well balanced by the tertiary notes evolving after the 15 months of barrique aging and the twelve months of bottle aging.
We award this Barbera with a 92-point DWA score (LK).
2015 Barbera d’Asti Ai Suma
100% Barbera d’ Asti, late harvest.
“Ai Suma”, meaning “we did it”, a beautiful late harvest Barbera, only made in the best vintages. This deep ruby colored wine is rich and has a nice balance of primary and tertiary aromas. It has a good structure, but is very balanced and elegant at the same time. This wine spends 15 months in oak casks and then continues bottle aging for another year, giving it its vanilla, liquorice and cocoa aromas.
We award this late harvest Barbera with a 93-point DWA score (LK).
Il Poggione
Tucked away in a busy corner we encounter Alessandro Bindocci, representing Tenuta Il Poggione. Il Poggione is located in the beautiful Tuscan town of Sant’Angelo in Colle a few kilometers south of Montalcino. The story of Tenuta Il Poggione goes back to the 19th century when Lavinio Franceschi was so impressed by the stories told by a shepherd about the area that he went to visit the area. He fell in love with the majestic scenery and decided to buy land there. Lavinio Franceschi’s insight recognized the potential for vine cultivation and the Sangiovese grapes in the region. He modernized agricultural practices, selecting new Sangiovese clones, planting vineyards strategically, and establishing a technologically advanced winery without compromising tradition. Over a century later, his successors, Leopoldo and Livia, continue the legacy with unwavering dedication, with remarkable upward successes in the past 2 decades.
2018 Brunello di Montalcino
100% Brunello, Montalcino – Tuscany.
The Brunello di Montalcino 2018 is an elegant wine made from mature Sangiovese vines. The vines are about 25 years old and all the grapes are hand harvested. After harvest the grapes are fermented at controlled temperatures after which the wine is aged for 36 months in large French oak barrels. After barrel fermentation the wine is bottle aged to ensure the complexity and pleasantness of the wine.
The 2018 is a very elegant wine with round tannins and nice wood notes on both the nose and the palate. It has pronounced aromas of leather, chocolate and coffee balanced with some beautiful red fruit tones of red cherries and red currant.
We award this Brunello with a 93-point DWA score (LK).
2019 Brunello di Montalcino
100% Brunello, Montalcino – Tuscany.
This Brunello is still quite young, but definitely shows more structure. It has robust aromas of stewed cherries, coffee and earth tones like mushroom and crushed rocks. Currently the primary aromas are still quite prevalent, but the tertiary aromas that are present show a beautiful potential for aging.
We award this Brunello with a 93-point DWA score (LK).
2009 Sant’Antimo Vin Santo Riserva
Vin Santo Riserva, sweet wine, Trebbiano and Malvasia – Tuscany, Italy.
This beautiful dessert wine is a traditional Tuscan wine produced from Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes. After harvest the grapes are dried on straw mats to increase the sugar concentration in the grapes. The wine is aged for a minimum of 5 years in caratelli, 100-liter barrels, on the “madre”, a compound of yeast and bacteria kept from year to year which gives the wine the typical characteristics of the Vin Santo. This wine has lovely aromas of dried apricot, almonds and honey which would make it the ideal pairing for the traditional Tuscan Cantucci.
We award this Vin Santo Riserva with a 93-point DWA score (LK).
Dr. Crusius
At the table of Dr. Crusius we were greeted by the wonderful Rebecca Crusius, 14th generation winemaker in Germany’s Nahe region. With a lot of passion, she told us more about the beauty of the Nahe Valley, and what makes their vineyards special. The Nahe region is located in between the Mosel and Rheinhessen, and the vineyards of Dr. Crusius are located right on the river banks of the Nahe river and its contributories.
Even though the Nahe region is one of the smallest wine regions in Germany, they stand out because of their different soils and the impact these soils have on the Rieslings they create. Dr. Crusius has many small plots of land, who all have their own characteristics, due to their different types of volcanic soil, including melaphyre, slate and porphyry.
We tasted three different GG (Grosses Gewächs or Grand Cru) Rieslings from the 2022 vintage.
2022 Riesling Steinberg GG
100% Riesling (dry), single vineyard Grosse Lage – Nahe, Germany.
The grapes for this wonderful Riesling are grown on a plot that stands out because of its porphyry volcanic soil and its steep aspect of up to 50% facing South/South-West. The vineyard consists of both older vines and relatively young vines, which makes it interesting to see how these grapes will develop over the years. This Riesling is a very fruit forward wine with aromas of citrus and peach after which also hints of cassis and black pepper develop. The wine has a creamy finish and a beautifully balanced acidity.
We award this GG Riesling with a 92-point DWA score (LK).
Riesling Kupfergrube GG 2022
100% Riesling (dry), single vineyard Grosse Lage – Nahe, Germany.
The Kupfergrube vineyard faces South and is located at the foot of the volcanic rock face. The name goes back to an old copper mining site on which the vineyard was later established. The mineral-rich melaphyre soil produces Riesling wines that stand out because of their special herbal aromas and minerality.
We award this GG Riesling with a 92-point DWA score (LK).
Riesling Bastei GG 2022
100% Riesling (dry), single vineyard Grosse Lage – Nahe, Germany.
Traiser Bastei spans 1.4 hectares, making it one of the country’s smallest premium locations. Protected by the Rotenfels massif, it nurtures old Riesling vines in a unique microclimate, yielding mineral-rich wines from volcanic rock. Acquired in 1870 by Peter Crusius III, the site’s almost 50-year-old Riesling vines flourish on red porphyry amidst an exceptional climate. The resulting Bastei GG wine boasts exotic fruit aromas, herbal-spicy minerality, and a lingering aftertaste.
We award this GG Riesling with a 93-point DWA score (LK).
Reflecting on POOT Agenturen’s Golden Anniversary
As POOT Agenturen celebrates its 50th anniversary, it’s clear that their commitment to quality, innovation, and partnership has set a new standard in the world of wine. The anniversary event not only showcased an impressive portfolio of global wines but also illustrated the depth of POOT’s impact on the industry, from pioneering Bordeaux to introducing lesser-known yet extraordinary wines from across the globe.
This Grand Tasting event has provided a vivid snapshot of how tradition and innovation can coexist, enhancing the wine experience for connoisseurs and casual drinkers alike. POOT’s dedication to fostering strong relationships with producers has created a network that supports both the art of winemaking and the enjoyment of wine drinking.
Reflecting on the event, each tasting and the stories behind them reinforce POOT Agenturen’s role as more than just an importer. They are curators of a global wine experience, educators of the wine curious, and connectors of cultures.
We would like to thank POOT Agenturen for this excellent event, and of course all wineries present with their great wines. All mentioned wines are available directly through POOT Agenturen for professionals, or through selected retail and hospitality partners for consumers.
This article is a joined collaboration by our own Kazumi Uejo, Marlon Rouw, Louise Kleijweg and Niels Aarts. Picture credits: POOT Agenturen and Dutch Wine Apprentice.
