Winemaker Notes
An eye-catching deep ruby, with violet reflections. The first nose is complex, powerful, with mineral notes, developing into aromas that are at once both spicy and fruity (cassis, blackberry). The mouth is typically "Nuits," a very rich wine, enveloping literally all the palate. Black fruit, such as blackberries, dominates the aromas. One also notices the finesse and depth of the tannins. The finish is clean and very elegant.
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
A fresh mid purple with vigorous fruit on the nose, gaining in intensity in the glass. Certainly ripe, a juicy style of dark berry fruit. Quite high acid in counterpoint.
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Vinous
The 2020 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Damodes ler Cru has an attractive nose, red rather than black fruit, with hints of truffle and sous-bois. It is pretty complex compared to its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh entry. It has a fine grip and is structured, edgy and with commendable sapidity given the vintage.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of Amarena cherry, gardenia and freshly tilled soil create an enchanting bouquet. Impressive acidity refreshes the palate and provides lift to this wine’s dark-fruited profile. Ample ripe fig, plum and violet fuse and persist on its long and focused finish.
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Wine Spectator
A focused, even racy red, whose blackberry, black cherry, earth and spice notes are fused to the linear frame. Shows fine concentration, balance and length, yet needs some time to unwind. Best from 2026 through 2043.
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.