Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
Black centre, peaches and dark plums on the nose, wealthy and ripe, luxurious in style, a little too much for me but it is not unbalanced for those who like the riper style. Is showing a little on the massive side today. Under 14% though. Romain had some holes dug and found a surprising depth of clay on top of the mother rock, thus holding the water supply well.
Barrel Sample: 91-94 -
Wine Spectator
A sleek, succulent red announced by a beam of black currant and blackberry fruit. Firms up, taking on violet, spice and graphite notes as this expands on the resonant finish. Still needs a few years to fully integrate. Best from 2026 through 2042.
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.