Mischief and Mayhem Nuits-Saint-Georges 2012
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This Nuits-Saint-Georges was produced from Pinot Noir vines with an average of 40 years, harvested from sites north and south of the ancient town of Nuits-Saint-Georges, from soils rich in limestone and iron with traces of clay. The growing season and harvest in 2012 were fine for Pinot Noir, with lovely ripeness of fruit, purity and structure. Bottled after 18 months in barrel, this is a wine of real fruit character, richness and complexity. Delicious to drink by itself, the Nuits-Saint-Georges is also an ideal accompaniment to roast duck, venison, rack of lamb or steak.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Inhabiting the bottom end of the northern half of the Côte d’Or, Nuits-St-Georges is a busy, market-driven town and home to many of Burgundy’s negociants. It is also the largest town in the Côte d’Or after Beaune and contributes "nuits" to the name of Côte de Nuits (i.e., the northern half of the Côte d’Or).
The appellation itself is divided into two parts, where in the north it directly borders Vosne-Romanée, the southerly end is the commune of Prémeaux. There are no Grands Crus in this village, though it does have a large number of Premiers Crus.
The best Nuits-St-Georges Pinot Noir are layered with cherry, plum, underbrush and sandalwood. The fruit is sweet, the wine energetic, and the finish long and lush.