By Burgundy standards, Nuits-St-Georges is an enormous appellation, stretching nearly four miles end to end. The soil makeup varies widely across the town, and Nuits can best be thought of as three distinct districts: north, middle and south. The northern part that borders Vosne is the most elegant, the middle the boldest and most powerful, and the southern the most mineral.
Today’s cuvée comes from the middle, not far from the famous “Les St-Georges” vineyard from which the town borrows its name. Michel Gros’s “les Chaliots” vineyard produces a classic expression of Nuits: deep intensity, muscular texture, deep dark fruit. We love this wine year in and year out, but in a vintage like 2019 it’s simply stellar.
The trick in Nuits-St-Georges (particularly the middle sector) is to balance the readily available tannin with enough fruit and finesse. The rugged structure of Nuits grapes tends toward rusticity if left untamed. But as you might expect from someone who recently celebrated his 40th vintage at the helm of his domaine, Michel has steered this cuvée beautifully, and hit the balance just right.
The nose is deep and lovely, with plums, blackberries, toast and spice. The mouth is rich and concentrated, with deep color and even deeper flavor. Burghound found “notes of plum liqueur and dark currant,” and called it “quite rich and suave.”
The past few 2019s we’ve opened have been in a terrific drinking window – they’ve shed a touch of their baby fruit and tannin, but are still in a youthfully juicy stage. They’re certainly built to last, should you want, but pour some steak frites and you won’t need much more.
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Gros Nuits-St-Georges “Chaliots” 2019
bottle price: $75
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