Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby red hue. Powerful nose disclosing ripe fruits and warm spicy notes. A smooth, clean attack gives way to a well-balanced palate with rich, smooth tannins. This wine’s harmonious structure and elegance perfectly represent this Premier Cru.
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
Mid red crimson. The bouquet is charming, with more finesse than the expected weight of Les St-Georges. Jérôme says to expect the same in 2022 as well. Then a surge of dense sweet fresh strawberry with some dark raspberry behind, a fresh tingle to finish. Drink from 2028-2034.
Barrel Sample: 91-94 -
Vinous
The 2021 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges 1er Cru sports a little reduction on the nose, mainly red fruit tinged with soy and a little spice box emerging with time. Something here just reminds me of a fine Pinot from Hemel-en-Aarde. The palate is supple and rounded in texture, leaning a little into Vosne-like red fruit with a lovely creaminess that seduces on the finish. Clever use of oak and whole bunch here lends this texture and restraint, yet never leaves you feeling shortchanged.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges reveals aromas of smoky berries, cherries and rich soil tones, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy palate that's seamless and suave, framed by melting tannins. It's part domaine, part négoce.
Barrel Sample: 91-93
Founded in 1825, Bourgognes Faiveley has been handed down from father to son for over 175 years. As the sixth generation to take the reins, François Faiveley manages, with equal amounts passion and competence, the largest family domaine in Burgundy. Methodically reconstructing vineyards fractured by French inheritance laws, Bourgognes Faiveley today owns more appellations in their entirety (monopoles) than any other domaine in Burgundy.
"Faiveley’s wines are... supremely clean and elegant: definitive examples of Pinot Noir... above all they have richness and breed, the thumbprint of a master winemaker."
-Clive Coates M.W.
Côte d’Or, A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy
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.