Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos des Thorey had been racked the previous week. It is matured with 50% whole cluster and aged in 40% new oak. The nose is more expressive than the Corvées Pagets at the moment, with vibrant redcurrant and fresh strawberry scents interlaced with autumn leaves and wild hedgerow. The palate is medium-bodied with a saline tang on the entry, plenty of energy here, with impressive body and structure on the finish.
Range: 91-93 -
Wine & Spirits
This 7.4-acre clos rises toward the top of the hill just north of the village; half of the vines date to 1975, the other half were replanted in 2013. The vineyard’s chalky soils, organically farmed and certified since 2000, built a wine with a tense floral buzz. Its vibrant, vibrating flavors of forest mushrooms, raspberries and raspberry seeds feel more umami than fruity, restrained by powerful tannins that slowly release the equally powerful fruit. It continues to reveal layer upon layer of flavor as the inner strength of the wine shows its potential for long aging. An awesome 2013.
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.